STOIC

NINE

EMMERSON

Emmerson 16

Stoic 21

Life without my brothers was somewhat easier. No dramas, no fights, no crazy girls chasing after them. Yes, I was counting Stoic as my brother too. My brother from another mother.

It’d been three years, and they were finally coming back. But, for some reason, things didn’t go as planned, so they would have to go back to the border in six months. At least they got a nice and well-deserved break.

I couldn’t wait to see them! I hated to admit it, but I did miss them, all of them. I thought about them often, especially Stoic. He left me gifts with Uncle Erik, Auntie Ida, and Mom. Even when he wasn’t here, I still always got my birthday dress, my summer hoop, and my wood gift for the fall. He carved a beautiful Yggdrasil on a round tree slab. I kept it in my bedroom next to the metal thing he gave me when I was little, the “Jeg elsker deg.” That made me miss him even more.

I went with Amelia to wait for them at the station. We stood right in front of it, where the little shops were. Amelia wanted to eat pastries, so we were stuffing our faces before the train arrived.

Mom, Dad, Erik, and Ida were waiting for them inside. Ethan had left for the north last year, and I had made a backpack for him too.

Looking back these past three years, I had been so busy. I got really good at sewing bags and backpacks, and I was already making a lot of exchanges for my work. I recently got a wooden bow, and I’d give it to Stoic when he came back. He was going to like it. The dancing was going well, too. We had had many performances, and the crowds went wild when we danced. I learned Portuguese, and Mom and I spoke it all the time—mostly if we didn’t want Dad knowing what we were talking about.

Ever since Stoic left, I had been spending a lot of time with Auntie Ida. I didn’t want her to feel lonely. She taught me some of her and Stoic’s favorite recipes, and we cooked them together three times a week. When Stoic came back, I might surprise him with a nice meal.

My body was completely different. I had to admit that I had grown up. I actually looked really pretty. I was way taller, my curly hair almost reached my lower back, my hips had curves, my breasts had grown to a nice comfortable size, and my butt was round and sort of big like Mom’s. Since I did so much dancing, my legs were nice and toned.

I also changed the way I dressed, and I could say I had quite a style. Mom helped with that. All my clothes showed off my perfect curves, hugged me in all the right places, and enhanced all my enchantments.

I never stopped being a brat, so I walked the streets swinging my hips like the queen I knew I was. Guys hit on me all the time. I got whistles and stupid pick-up lines everywhere I went. Amelia called me the microwave—I heated them up but never ate them. Amelia, too, grew to be astonishingly beautiful with a killer body. We could drop them all dead! Who would have believed that the least girly girls turned out to be the cutest of them all? Ha! I had zero shame. I didn’t mind kicking my own butt every now and then. I was beautiful, and I knew it.

I didn’t care much about guys, though, as none of them were interesting or cute enough for me. Amelia said I was picky, but the truth was that I tended to compare them a lot. None of them were tall enough or handsome enough or strong enough for me. They always lacked something. I was not looking for perfection, but they were definitely not what I wanted. Some of them even got frustrated because I didn’t even give them the time of day. My “old friend” Noah was one of them.

It was funny that when the cats were away, the mice relaxed and thought they could come out to play. I was sure that as soon as Kenzo and Stoic came back, all these idiots would have to swallow their own tongues. One catcall in front of Stoic, and heads would roll. Landon’s knockout would look like a children’s game compared to the m******e that awaited them.

Noah must have asked me out like twenty times already. I ran out of ways to say no. He had the habit of showing up everywhere I went.

“Sup, Emmy?” Talk about the devil…

“Sup?”

“Not much, just hanging around. What are you two ladies up to?” Noah asked, trying to sound cool but failing. Oh, he was not going to like it.

“We? Not much, just waiting for Kenzo and Stoic to arrive.” I mentioned in a very disinterested manner, pointing between Amelia and me. His eyes grew double their size.

“Stoic?”

“Yeah, Stoic, and Kenzo,” I repeated, giving my cheese danish a big bite.

“Stoic f*****g Dokken is coming back today?”

Game over, dude.

“Yep,” I popped the ‘p’ at the end. Amelia couldn’t hold back her laugh and started chuckling in between her teeth.

“f**k me!” he cursed and pulled his hair.

Ewww, no thanks.

“You know what, I don’t f*****g care. I’m not that small child he used to toss around all the time. I won’t let that asshat intimidate me anymore.” I nodded. Interesting, he was going to try his luck. Cute.

“OK, good luck!” I waved my hand at him, turned around, locked my arm with Amelia’s, and started to walk away from him.

“You must be happy, right, Emmerson?” Noah yelled, and I turned to look at him. His ridiculous face looked pissed.

“What?” I said with my mouth full.

“Your boyfriend is coming back.”

“You mean my brothers,” I clarified after swallowing.

“Nah, you heard me—your brother and your long-time boyfriend.”

What? Who the f**k did he think he was? The nerves!

“Don’t be stupid, Noah; jealousy doesn’t look good on anybody. Stop making s**t up.” I turned again and started walking.

“Nobody but Stoic, right?”

What was he talking about?

“Stoic is nothing but an overprotective brother.” He, more than anyone, should have known that.

“He wants you, Emmy, he always did. He wants to give it to you hard, and you don’t even f*****g notice it.”

What?

This moron was delusional. That was it. I was done with him. “Not every guy out here is a pig like you. Stoic is like my brother. Just admit it, you’re angry because you know you ain’t got no chance with me. Piece of advice, move the f**k on, Noah.”

“You can say whatever you want, Emmerson, but in his eyes, you are his woman,” Noah said as he turned and started to walk away from us.

“Oh, f**k off, you cunt,” I screamed at him.

“OK! Come on, let’s go.” Amelia pulled me away before I decided to take my shoe off and do some damage. Noah left, fuming.

Trip and die, Noah. Trip and die.

“What the f**k is wrong with him?” I complained, eating my pastry. Amelia gave me the “you know” look.

“What?” My mouth was full again.

“Emmy, I don’t think Noah is completely wrong,” she voiced hesitantly.

Her too?

“Oh, come on, not you too.” I was tired of people giving me that ridiculous argument.

“Just saying…” she lazily mentioned, shrugging.

“Trust me, that’s a hard no. OK?”

“OK… If you say so…” She still didn’t believe me, but I was not going to argue about that stupid topic anymore.

After we finished eating, I brushed the crumbs off my shirt. Looking at my reflection in one of the shop’s glass windows, I made a turn, and gave myself a wink and two thumbs up. I looked good. I was wearing a tight white sleeveless short, crocheted shirt that ended at my ribs and high waist loose shorts that adjusted to my waist and accentuated my curves—they ended mid-thigh and flowed with the wind. They actually looked more like a skirt. I had my white tennis shoes on, my hair was up in a messy bun, and my tanned skin was glowing under the summer sun.

“We should head back. I see people coming out, so I think they must have arrived already,” Amelia noticed. I agreed.

We walked back, and as soon as we passed through the station’s entrance, I saw him. He was very far, but his red hair towered way over the crowd. He was back. As I took some steps forward, my heartbeat got faster.

Why was my heart beating so fast?

He was looking around, desperate, his blue eyes searching the crowd. He must have been looking for me. Kenzo was standing next to him, talking to Dad. They both looked so different. A good kind of different, though.

A smile spread across my face, and all of a sudden, a sea of emotions consumed me. I screamed his name, and his eyes landed on me. His eyebrows frowned, and I knew he barely recognized me.

For that moment, the world stopped, and my mind blocked out anything else that wasn’t him. I laughed and ran to him. I ran as fast as I could between all the moving bodies—they were nothing but a blur. All I could see was Stoic. My heart was racing, and I bumped into at least four different people on my way to him. He stood there, a smile on his face and his blue eyes shining like stars. I saw Kenzo lean over and tell him something, and he nodded without taking his eyes away from me, not even for a second.

My messy bun fell, my hair scattering in all directions, but I didn’t care. I kept running to him and screaming his name. As soon as I got closer, he dropped his black backpack on the floor and opened his arms. I jumped into his arms, and he caught me. My arms immediately wrapped around his neck and my legs around his waist. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly.

“You’re back!” I felt like crying. Why did I feel like crying? I hugged him so tight.

“I’m back, baby.” His voice. I missed his deep voice. I didn’t realize I had missed him this much.

I pulled back a little and looked into his eyes, smiling like a small child. He had changed a lot. He had a beard now with an arm covered in tattoos, but it was him. He was built like a beast too. I bet he could rip a log apart with his bare hands.

Had he always been this handsome?

“Emmy…” He was studying me. His eyes traveled down and then back up. I was not the little girl he left behind three years ago.

“Stoic!” I squealed and gave him another hug. He buried his face in my neck and took a deep breath.

“Don’t worry about your real brother here. I’m fine, by all means… Just hug Stoic. I’m fine,” Kenzo protested, but we ignored him. He just picked up Stoic’s backpack and walked away, mumbling something. I couldn’t stop smiling. Kenzo was being overdramatic.

“I missed you so much,” he said and squeezed me harder.

“I know you did. There’s no other like me in this world.” My inner brat blurted out.

He chuckled, “You are right.” See, that was a smart answer.

“I don’t want to let you go! I’m gonna hang on to you for the rest of the day,” I said.

Stoic laughed. I was not kidding. I could hug him for hours.

“I could hang on to you for the rest of the month,” he joked, and we both laughed.

He moved his hands from my waist to my thighs to help hold my weight. As soon as his warm hands touched my skin, I felt goosebumps. My eyes traveled to his hands and then back to his face. He was staring into my eyes with an expression I had never seen on him. What was it? It made me excited but nervous at the same time.

He raised an eyebrow at my expression and smirked. This was my Stoic, but at the same time, he was different. We just stood there, looking into each other’s eyes for the longest time.

“Do you two want to go back home with us, or are you going somewhere else?” my mom asked, interrupting us.

“Go ahead. We’ll catch you later,” Stoic informed her without breaking eye contact with me.

“OK… Dinner is at six. Don’t be late,” my mom said and walked away.

“See you at home, son.” My dad patted his arm and followed Mom.

“Emmy! I… Oh! I… I gotta go. My moms must be looking for me. Let’s talk later, OK?” That was Amelia. I didn’t answer her or move my eyes from Stoic’s. It was like a staring contest. My eyes remained fixed on his like a magnet.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked me after everyone left. All I could do was nod my head like an i***t. I couldn’t stop the smile that was spreading across my face.

“Come on. Get on my back.” He put me down, turned, and got on one knee. I didn’t think twice before hopping back on him, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his torso. He held onto my legs and started walking.

We walked out of the station and down the road toward the park. I gotta say, the world looked different from up here. That was a long way down.

Was this what it felt like to be six-eight?

Every time he readjusted me, I hugged him tighter. There were a million things I wanted to ask him and talk about, but nothing came out. I just held on to him, enjoying the way it felt having him this close.

His hair had grown. He had it tied in a bun, and I wondered how long it actually was. I wanted to run my fingers through it so badly. His back was wide, and his muscles felt hard. He had always been strong, but now he resembled a god more than anything else. Even when he was just wearing a simple black T-shirt, jeans, and boots, he looked like he had just walked right through Bifrost and out of Asgard. None of his clothes were tight on him, but you could still see he was absolutely shredded underneath them. Stoic was hotter than the freaking sun, and I felt like I was slowly melting over him.

Oh crap! Noah and Amelia might have been right.

He got us to the playground and sat me on a swing bench. We were under a big maple tree, and the shadow it made over us kept us cool and comfortable on this warm day. He sat next to me and pulled me closer. Stoic put my hair behind my ear and kissed my head. The place was mostly empty, only a few little kids running in the distance.

“You have grown a lot. You look so different I barely recognized you.” His thumb caressed my face.

“You changed too.” I gently touched his beard, and he smiled. I pointed at his tattoos. “When did all this happen?”

He started to think as if he was going to measure his words. “Many of them, I always wanted to have. I guess the time was right to get them.”

Damn it, he looked hella good with them.

“Are you sure it was not to impress the ladies?” I lifted and dropped my eyebrows in a comical way.

Oh wait, were there any ladies?

There must be. He was too handsome. Girls his age must be falling head over heels for him. Begging on their knees.

“Nah, there’s no one to impress there.”

Bullshit. I call bullshit!

“So, you’re telling me no girls are running after you in the North as you have them here?” I questioned, my eyes searching his deep blues.

He fixed his eyes on mine. A shy smile appeared, and he shook his head. “Nah. I mean, yes. There are girls, but…” He patted my head, “I’ve never been interested in any of them.”

Horseshit!

“So… are you telling me you don’t like girls? I mean, that’s okay—”

“I f*****g like girls, Emmy.” He stopped me before I could finish my thought. Almost forgot how easy it was to get him angry.

“Oh, I thought—”

“I’m saving myself for the right one.” Oh, wow! I didn’t think Stoic was this romantic. That’s way better than being a man-w***e like Kenzo.

“Good! I like that. Keep up the good work!” I cheered, giving him a thumbs up.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to for much longer,” he voiced, looking at the ground.

What did that mean?

“What?” I started.

“Let’s go back,” he interrupted me. He stood up fast and kneeled. I hopped on his back again, and we headed home.

Stoic took the long way back home. Instead of the road, we went through the woods. He stayed silent for a while, then asked me one of his famous dumb questions.

“Emmerson, a hammock or a swing bench?”

What the hell? That was random.

“A swinging daybed!” I chuckled, and so did he.

After that, he stayed quiet, but I couldn’t stand it and broke the silence.

“Stoic, what were you actually doing there?” He stiffened a little and readjusted me.

“Not much. Just guarding the fence. It was pretty boring.”

Why does he need to be so strong just to guard a fence?

Maybe he was like this because he had nothing else to do but exercise. “I missed it here. I missed this,” he told me.

He must be talking about quietness and nature.

“Is the north as boring as the girls that live there?” I was not dropping the topic. I really wanted to know. I didn’t think I would be able to sleep well if I didn’t find out for sure. He must have had a girl back there.

“Emmerson, the girl I like is here, not there.”

So, there was someone. Oh no!

“Oh! So… you have a secret girlfriend?”

Please say no, please say no.

“Sort of. I’m taken if that’s what you’re asking.” I stayed quiet. I didn’t like that. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t f*****g like that.

Stoic belonged to someone?

“And so are you, right?” he asked with a cheery voice.

Was he happy about that?

I had never given much thought to my future husband, but right then, for some reason, it didn’t feel right. “Yeah…” I tried to not sound depressed but failed. “Do I have to marry him?”

“Yes.” That sounded like a definitive answer. Leave it to Stoic to cut a conversation short.

“What if I don’t like him?” I might not want this wedding after all.

“You’ll learn to.” Another definite answer. He was not leaving any room for argument.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” I was just searching for excuses now.

“That’s not possible. You’re drop-dead gorgeous, Emmy.”

Did he really think I was gorgeous?

Well, thank you for the ego boost. “Do you think so?” He couldn’t see it, but I was biting my lip.

“Yes.”

“Well… you are not alone there.” I laughed, thinking about all the guys that had confessed their love for me.

“What do you mean?” His voice got serious.

“I’m quite popular. Little old messy me grew up to be steamy hot,” I bragged in my sexy voice, and he stopped walking. He might not believe how stupidly narcissistic I was acting. I bet this girl he liked was not even half as pretty as I was.

“Are guys hitting on you?” There! That was the Stoic I remembered.

Hello, my old friend.

“Pfft, of course. All the time,” I laughed.

“Who?”

“Why do you want to know that? So you can go on a murder rampage? Don’t be silly, Stoic. You’ll have to kill half the village.” I laughed some more, but he didn’t seem to find it as funny as I did.

“Have you dated anyone?” he asked, his voice dropping. Yep, he was angry. Oh, I was gonna push his buttons.

“Uhm… Let’s see… What counts as dating?” I pretended I was thinking.

Stoic put me down and turned around. He looked angry. I forgot how easy it was to bother him. I bit my lip and held my laughter back.

“Has anyone kissed you?” His hands were forming fists. The only person I had kissed was him. Long ago, on his birthday. I remembered how his tongue entered my mouth, how I kicked him, and how he couldn’t stand up after. I couldn’t help but smile.

“Has anyone f*****g kissed you, Emmerson?”

You did, you moron.

“Well… I can’t say no to that.” He cracked his neck and got closer to me. He was pissed, so I stepped back. He gave one step forward, and I gave one backward.

“Are you still a virgin?” he asked, looking up and down at my body.

What the f**k? How? I mean, why would he ask that? That was super personal.

“That’s none of your business, Stoic.” Another step.

“It’s a yes or no question, Emmerson.” And I didn’t want to answer it. Another step.

“What if I’m not?” His eyes widened. Oh, he was furious.

“Don’t f*****g joke around, Emmerson. Answer.” Another step, and I hit a tree behind me. Uh oh!

“I don’t have to tell you s**t, Stoic,” I said in my sassy voice. Big mistake.

He took another step, and his body was so close to me I could feel his heat. Stoic looked down at me, put his hand over my p***y, and caressed my mound with his thumb.

“Tell me now, Emmerson, or I’ll pull these cute little pants down, spread your legs open, and check it myself.” His voice was deep and dark.

I gasped loudly. I was petrified. I felt my heart abruptly stop. I couldn’t breathe. My eyes got wide, and my mouth dropped open. Heat spread all over my body, and I knew I must be blushing. No one had ever spoken to me like that or touched me there.

“I… I… am,” I confessed softly. I was afraid he’d do what he said he would.

“You what, Emmy? Use your words.” He kept brushing his fingers over me. His face was close to my neck, and I felt his breath on me. Oh gosh, I was getting wet.

Why was I getting wet?

“I am still a virgin,” I voiced quickly, pressing myself further against the tree. He nodded, and his hand slowly moved up. He moved it very slowly, the back of his fingers just brushing over my breast until he reached my neck and jaw.

“Have you let anyone touch your body?”

“No,” I whispered. My p***y clenched, and I felt more wetness.

“Good girl.”

Oh, God!

His hand moved down again. This time, instead of brushing with his fingers, he had his whole hand moving softly over me, putting a little pressure when he moved over my tit. I was definitely soaking now.

“I would have f*****g hated it if anyone had touched you.” His hand moved further down my body. He held my hip, then moved his hand behind me, grabbing my ass.

“Nobody else can have this body.” His voice sounded so sexy. I started breathing hard.

What was going on?

He lowered his hands and touched my thighs and then moved his hands up, sliding his fingers under the loose fabric of my pants. I flinched and covered my mouth in surprise.

What the actual f**k?

“Have you been a good girl, Emmerson? Hm?” His lips were so close to my neck that I could feel them move when he talked. He moved his hand incredibly slowly up my leg. I didn’t know what to say to that.

What did he mean?

“Have you touched yourself, baby?” His hands were getting higher.

Oh, f*****g hell!

He put his other hand on the tree and caged me in. “Have you played with this tight little p***y?” His voice was full of desire.

“No.” I shook my head. That’s the truth. I knew other girls my age m*********d, but I never really felt like doing it. I had never been interested in s*x. However, I had the feeling that was about to change.

His hand reached my damp underwear, and he slightly brushed them with the back of his fingers.

“Are you getting wet, Emmy?” His voice got lower somehow, but he stayed calm.

“I… I…” I couldn’t make words come out of my mouth. Stoic took his hand out from under my pants and put it on my waist. Immediately, I realized what he was doing. Stoic pulled the zipper at the side of my shorts open. He slipped his hand inside my pants and underwear, slowly moving them down on me.

Holy f**k!

I grabbed his hand with mine, but he kept moving down. My eyes were fixed on his hand, my breathing ragged. Finally, his hand reached my mound, and he softly passed his middle and index fingers over me. His middle finger was right over my slit, with his index sliding along my lip. He trailed them slowly down my mound. Once his finger was low enough, he added a little bit of pressure and slipped his middle finger inside my lips. He softly circled my entrance and then moved it back up, ever so slowly.

I squeezed his hand as hard as I could, not knowing if I wanted him to stop or keep going. It felt good.

“f**k, Emmerson, you are so f*****g wet.” He let out a low grunt and pressed his hips to my body. Stoic reached my c**t and rubbed little circles around it.

“Uuhh!” I moaned, my head falling back.

Stoic kept rubbing circles with his warm fingers, and I held onto his hands as if my life depended on it. His eyes locked on mine.

“Uuhh! Uuhh! Uuhh!…” I moaned softly, my mouth open and my lips trembling. He knew how much this affected me, and he bit his lip.

Stoic stopped rubbing my c**t. He slid his hand up and down my p***y multiple times, making all his fingers slick with my juices. He gave me a little tap on my p***y that made me jump, and then he pulled his hand out.

I saw how he put two fingers in his mouth and tasted them, his eyes on mine. “Mmm,” he said, licking his lips after.

Oh, f**k!

I was embarrassed. I wanted the earth to open and swallow me whole.

Stoic zipped up my pants, pulled me away from the tree, and dusted my clothes. Taking a few steps back, he said, “Little girls shouldn’t be walking around with their underwear soaked, Emmerson. Let’s go home. You need to wipe yourself clean and change. Everyone is waiting.” I saw him rub his mid-thigh as he said that. When I gave it a better look, it was not his thigh that he was rubbing. His d**k was hard, and f**k, it must be huge if it was hanging that low.

Stoic turned around when he saw me staring at his tented pants. “Move, Emmerson,” he ordered, turning his back to me. Then, he started walking away, and I quietly followed him.

What the f**k just happened?

**** Authors's note ****:

This is the end of the excerpt. If you liked it, go check my work out. You can find me by my pen name on most soci-al media platforms. This book is published and available on Ama zon, B&N and Goo gle Play Books, & in Tier 2 on all my subscriptions, Inki tt, REAM, Patre on, & Lutionary.