Page 10 of Stepbrother's Inheritance

"You think I didn't want to be there for my mother?" he asks at last.

"If you wanted to be there then why weren't you? You have all the money in the world, you just had to fly your private jet in and be there!"

"Things aren't that simple," he says.

"It is! She needed you. She asked for you. You weren't there."

I want to hurt him. I want to make him feel the way I felt when he walked out that door. I want him bleeding from his heart like my own still bleeds for what we were. I thought I could ignore it, push it aside and let something new take its place. How wrong I was.

Ben rises from the table both hands resting before him. He stares down at his plate not even glancing at me. His right index finger traces that pattern on the table cloth.

"We have an early morning, you should retire for the night."

He turns and walks out of the room without another word. I watch him go and realize I have nothing else to say either.

Chapter seven

Stupid. So stupid. Why didn't I just leave it alone? We were getting along fine. It's too early to bring up the past. I lay in bed berating myself. I have to apologize. Maybe I can fix this.

I can't stop replaying it in my mind. I shouldn't have asked. I just want him close to me again. Okay, only way to fix this is to do it. What's the worst that can happen? He doesn't want to talk to me ever again? Pretty much where we're at now.

I climb out of bed throwing my robe around me and head for his bedroom. I knock on his door and I feel like a little girl again when I used to slide into bed with him in the dark. He'd always welcome me, sliding over and sharing his covers. Pressed up against me with his strong arms around me I was safe. Warm. Loved.

I don't hear him stirring so I knock again, louder this time. He's never turned me away. One time I slipped in and he had a girl with him. She woke up when I started climbing in his bed and yelled. I smile as the memory comes back to me.

It was dark as I made my way into his bed. I'd had another nightmare and Ben always took care of me. I touched his shoulder and he scooted aside without a word so I could slide in between the sheets.

Then a girl screamed. I jumped back out of bed tears running down my face.

"Shut up," Ben barked at the girl behind him.

"What the hell is this?" she asks.

She's sitting up behind her and I can see she's naked. Her breasts are much bigger than mine illuminated by the moonlight streaming in his window.

"She's my sister, she needs me."

The girl was wide eyed, her mouth moved but no words came out. She pulled the sheet up across herself.

"You some kind of freak?" she asked. "You sleep with your sister?"

Ben turned away from me and I couldn't see his face but his voice was hard and cold. "Get the fuck out of my house now."

"You can't kick me out! We just ..."

Ben didn't say anything as he climbed out of bed and stood staring at her.

The girl looked back and forth between the two of us. Ben put an arm around my shoulder pulling me close to him. My head spun from the smell of him, the softness of his skin against my face, the strength of his arm around my shoulders.

"You are a freak," the girls said climbing off the bed. "Both of you, damn American freaks!"

She pulled her clothes together and left. I looked at Ben.

"Don't worry about her Vic. I'll always protect you."

I knock again louder, it's really early so maybe he's sleeping deeply. When I still don't get an answer, memories of my naiveté make me bold and I open the door. His room is immaculate but that's Ben, perfectionist to the end. His bed is made though. Or hasn't been slept in. Where is he? I look around for a note or indication of where he could have gone but there's nothing in his room.

I start searching the house but there's no sign of him anywhere. I go to the kitchen thinking he might be up getting breakfast but only Esmeralda is there baking fresh bread.

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