Page 4 of Brothers Best Friend Cowboy

When people meet me, they all want to tell me I look like some character named Star Puff. A short, chubby, gamer girl who’s in a cartoon no one’s ever heard of.

I stare at the black and white two piece in the corner. It’s not a real two piece. It’s one of those tank top things that people wear when they hate their stomachs. If the store had a complete wet suit, I’d have bought that instead.

Truthfully, Emery has seen me in a bathing suit multiple times. We used to spend every summer at the river together and sleepovers were nothing strange. The guys liked camping, so I loved camping too. I’d do anything to be with my big brother and his best friend.

The last summer we were together, I was twenty-two and he was turning thirty-six. We were there to celebrate Emery’s birthday, but he was all about making everyone else happy. The man rented boats and water skis, and we all spent a tiring day on the lake.

That night, Emery and I stayed out past everyone else and laid under the stars. He told me stories about the sky I’d never heard, and I told him stories about my parents and what things were like when they were alive. I never opened up to anyone else about them. Dodge was too close to the topic, and I figured bringing them up would only make him sad or make him feel guilty for leaving town. People my age were always young and carefree, so no one really understood what I was going through… but Emery did.

That night, he laid next to me until I fell asleep. We woke up in the same spot the following morning.

I knew right then I loved him.

I bite the inside of my cheek and slip my jeans to the floor, bypassing the tankini for the full-blown deal still stuffed in the bottom of my suitcase. It’s a pink and white string bikini that I have no business wearing. But in this moment, I don’t care. I’m not going to go down to the river and bury myself in a parka while Ms. Naked Hottie makes moves on the guy I’ve been in love with for ten years. I’m going to show him what I have and see what he does.

I clear my throat and stare at myself in the mirror, considering the idea of touching myself before I rejoin the group. It might take the edge off the yearning, and Lord knows I could take any help I can get.

I need to be near him. I need to feel his big, heavy frame against my body. I need to taste him. I’m desperate for it. More desperate than I’d originally thought. Being near him again makes the urges unbearable.

My clit throbs as I imagine his warm breath next to my ear. He’s changed so much in three years. He’s bigger, even more muscular than before, and his forearms, shoulders, and hands are covered in tattoos.

I stand to lock the door, but I hear a sniffle from down the hall.

That’s not the sniffle of a man. It’s far too dainty and sharp. It’s most certainly Ash.

Ugh! I can’t masturbate knowing she’s down the hall crying.

Why?Why couldn’t this weekend just be about me finally getting the man I love? Or at the least, masturbating to the ghost of his touch while I stare at him through the upstairs window.

I throw on my cover up and head down the hall, sunglasses in hand, toward the sound of tears.

Ash is hunched over the bed, holding her pretty face. Her blonde hair hangs over her shoulder and in true character, she’s wearing a yellow string bikini.

I knock softly on the door. “Hey, Ash. Are you okay?”

I really want her to say yes. It’s not that I don’t want to help her, I just don’t want to get involved with someone who’s here to steal away the only man I’ve ever thought about.

She shakes her head. “Not really. I’ve been sick all night.”

“Are you in pain? Do you need some medicine?”

“No, it’s just nausea. I’m…” She sighs. “I don’t know how much you want to know.”

My eyes widen with surprise. I want to know none of it. I want to go downstairs, bite the bullet, and hope Emery loves chubby cartoon characters in string bikinis. That said, I sit next to Ash and rub her back. “Whatever you feel comfortable telling me.”

She sucks in a deep breath and lets it out quickly, gripping my hands in hers. “Thank you!” Her eyes are wide, and I genuinely feel her thanks.

Now I feel bad.

“I don’t know if you know what I did back when I was in the Springs, but I was a stripper.Please don’t judge me.”Her tone is pleading, like she’s been judged before. “It’s a dark job and I know I could do better with my life. That’s why I’m going to school for hairdressing. But I was with this guy before and,” she lowers her voice, “I think I might be pregnant.”

I try not to look shocked, but I can’t help it. “Oh, wow! That’s a lot. Do you have a test?”

She shakes her head. “It’s too soon to tell, anyway. But I’m sick and my breasts hurt. Plus, I missed my period.” She cries harder. “I thought he and I were solid, but he left me for another girl at the club.”

Having never been in a situation like this before, I’m not sure how to help. So, I just keep asking questions.

“Do you want a baby right now?”

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