Dirty Ella: A Fairy Tale Inspired Stepbrother Romance Read online

  “That’s too bad. He was a good man.”

  “He was,” I agreed.

  “Does she make you work out here?” Julian asked, a frown on his lips.

  “No, this is my thing. I don’t think she actually cares about the garden. I just do it on my own.”

  “It looks beautiful,” he said, and it was true that it was growing. I had only started to bring it back to life a month before but some of the flowers were starting to bloom already. It was overgrown with weeds but they were slowly disappearing as Julian and Eric helped me pull them from the ground. I had put gloves on after pricking my finger but both of their hands were bare, covered with dirt but working nonetheless. It was strange to see them both on their knees. Neither one of the boys I’d known when our parents had gotten married would have been caught dead in the dirt. They had always been pristine, always visibly wealthy and clean.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded. We worked in silence then for a little bit. I wasn’t sure of what to say to them and I wasn’t even sure that I wanted to make conversation. I was glad for their help but I didn’t know how to feel about their company. So far, they were being suspiciously kind to me, but I couldn’t help but be paranoid that they were luring me into a trap. It was the kind of thing their mother would do—sometimes she would be kind for a day, only to snap at me afterward.

  When we were finished with that section of the garden, I stood up, dusting off my knees and my hands. They stood as well and we stood there almost awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

  “Thanks for the help,” I told them, looking down over the garden. It really did look better, and their help had saved me at least a couple hours of doing the work myself.

  “Of course,” Eric said, then ran his hand through his hair. “Actually, we had a question for you.”

  I looked at them both warily, waiting for the bomb to drop. I knew it would be something that I didn’t like and I was just waiting to tell them no.

  “There’s a party this weekend at a friend’s house and we want you to come.”

  “A party?” I asked, completely caught off guard. It was the last thing I had been expecting.

  “Yes, a birthday party. Julian and I were wondering if you’d like to come with us, get out of the house for a night.”

  I stared at him for a moment, trying to process what he was asking me.

  “Why?”

  “You look like you could use some fun,” Julian said, and when I met his eye there was something playful there, something almost flirty. It put a heat in my belly that I didn’t recognize, one that I managed to stifle right away before it could show on my face.

  “I don’t know, I—”

  “Just think about it,” Eric insisted. “You don’t have to decide right now.”

  “We promise that we’ll show you a good time,” Julian said, again with a hint of suggestion in his voice. I chewed on my lip and his eyes flickered down to my mouth, settling on it for a brief instant before meeting mine again. There was a grin on his face that told me he knew exactly what he was doing. I pulled my eyes away from his, flushed, and met Eric’s gaze.

  “I’ll think about it,” I said, though I didn’t know why. My initial reaction was to refuse outright. I didn’t want to have anything to do with either one of them, not after the way they’d treated me. But there was something tempting about the offer.

  “Okay,” Eric said, beaming. “Let us know.”

  “I will.”

  They left then, Julian with one last glance over his shoulder, one that filled me with warmth. I stayed outside for a moment, waiting for my body to calm down, for my heart to stop racing. I didn’t understand my response to them, even though they had been nice enough to help me in the garden. I considered their offer—going to a party would be a strange experience, especially one where I was surrounded by people who were no doubt as wealthy as the twins. I did need a night out though, and I didn’t have to spend all my time at the party with the twins if I didn’t want to.

  I went inside and went upstairs, stepping gratefully into a hot shower to wash the dirt off of my body. My mind went unbidden to Julian, to the way he’d looked at me. But he was my stepbrother, and for all I knew he was as cruel a man as he had been as a teenager. When I looked into their faces, I saw no trace of the malice they had held when they first met me, but that didn’t mean that I could forgive or forget. Still, Julian’s eyes had pierced me, made my body react in a way I almost didn’t recognize. I didn’t usually feel desire and yet that was exactly what was creeping up on me, especially as I ran my hands over my body to wash my skin. For only the briefest instant I allowed myself to think what it would be like to be touched by him. I stamped the image down in my mind, hurrying out of the shower before the fantasy could go any further.

  I found the twins in the dining room before dinner, after I’d spent an hour cooking for all of us. I served the meal and sat down next to Julian and across from Lola, who looked at me with disdain before turning her attention to Eric. I had sat next to Julian to avoid meeting his eye throughout dinner, but I quickly realized that was a mistake—I could feel the heat of his body on my skin and was acutely aware of how close he was to me, though we were a few inches apart. It made me squirm in my seat, something which mortified me to no end.

  I was grateful when dinner was over and I could get up and away from the table. I went straight upstairs to visit Grandma and bring her dinner to her. She was sleeping in her chair when I got upstairs, and I gently shook her awake after I put the tray down on the table.

  “Grandma,” I said when she stirred, giving me a bright smile as her eyes focused on my face.

  “Hi, sweetie,” she said. “Is it time for dinner?”

  “Yes.”

  She nodded, pulling the table over in front of her. She studied my face as she started to eat.

  “You look like there’s something on your mind,” she said. I looked away from her, cursing myself for never being able to hide anything from her.

  “The twins invited me to a party.”

  “So they haven’t been mean to you?”

  I shook my head. “It’s strange. They helped me weed the garden earlier.”

  “Sounds like they’ve grown up,” she said.

  “Maybe.”

  “Are you going to the party?”

  “I don’t know yet. I haven’t decided,” I told her.

  “I think you should go.”

  “Why?” I asked. She put her fork down and reached over to put her hand on mine.

  “You’re young. You deserve some fun, sweetie. You spend so much time cooped up in this house and it makes me worry about you.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said, though I could tell she knew that I was lying. The truth was I went crazy in the house sometimes, but I had so much work to do and besides, I didn’t have any friends. I had never really connected with anyone after high school and hadn’t gone to college or gotten a job where I could meet people. I had no time to do anything other than take care of the house and take care of Grandma.

  “You should go,” she said again. I thought about it for a moment and then made up my mind. It was just one night, one party, and if I was uncomfortable I could always call a taxi to take me home if the twins didn’t want to leave.

  “I will,” I told her. She nodded at me then and finished eating while I sat next to her, lost in thought. I imagined how the night would go, wondered if I was making the right decision. After she was finished and I had her settled into bed, I went to Eric’s room and knocked on his door. He answered, his chest bare, wearing only a pair of sweatpants. I had to take a deep breath, to force myself not to look at his strong, broad chest. I couldn’t stop my eyes from scanning over him briefly, though I desperately tried to fight it. When I met his eye, he was grinning at me in that same flirty way that his brother had.

  “I don’t have anything to wear,” I told him.

  “We’ll get you something.”

  “
Are you sure?” I asked him. I had no money to spend, no way to get a new dress.

  “Of course,” he said. “We’ll go into town tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Thank you, Eric.”

  “Thank you for agreeing to come,” he said, and he really did look grateful. I couldn’t help but smile at him before I turned around and went back to my room, with a surprisingly light feeling in my chest.

  5

  Julian

  I woke up early the next morning, eager to get ready for the day out with Ella and Eric. For some reason, I was looking forward to spending time with Ella more than I had expected. There was something about the way she looked at me, with a heat in her eyes that was as surprising as it was disconcertingly sexy. The way she’d bitten her lip, the pink of her mouth, had filled me with a desire I didn’t want or need. But still, I wanted to be around her. I had been more than pleased when Eric told me that Ella had agreed to go to the party.

  I found her cooking breakfast in the kitchen, humming softly to herself as she worked. I walked in and she stopped humming, looking away from me shyly.

  “Good morning, Ella,” I said, noticing how flushed she got when I looked at her. It could have been embarrassment for being caught humming, but I had a feeling it was more than that. She had looked just as flushed the day before when I’d found myself almost flirting with her outside in the garden.

  “Good morning,” she said, turning around to the stove.

  “Are you ready for today?” I asked her. She nodded, looking over her shoulder at me.

  “Where are we going?”

  “I guess we’re going to the mall,” I said. I didn’t shop much, and though I was familiar with the town before, things had probably changed over the last ten years.

  “Okay,” she said, turning back to the stove. I had the urge to go up behind her, to wrap my arms around her and pull her body against mine. I ignored it but did approach the counter, careful to stay a few feet away from her.

  “Do you need help? I hate that you do all of the cooking.”

  “I’m fine,” she said and glanced over at me with the hint of a smile on her face. “Thank you. It’ll be done soon.”

  “I’m going to help you with dinner,” I said, making sure my tone relayed that I wasn’t going to let her argue with me.

  “Fine,” she said, but her tone was playful. I left the kitchen then and went out into the dining room where Eric was sitting and reading the newspaper. Ella joined us shortly after and we all had breakfast together, then went upstairs and got ready to go. An hour later we met in the foyer and then got into the car I had rented for the trip.

  “Do you have any idea what you want?” Eric asked her. She shook her head.

  “I don’t know when the last time I went shopping was. I don’t even know where to begin.”

  “We can help,” I said, glancing over at her in the passenger seat. She snorted.

  “I’m sure you both have excellent taste, but I’m not sure I trust it.”

  “I’m shocked you don’t trust us,” I said. She gave a soft laugh, one that came out of her like music. It was a sound that I loved to hear, one that I wanted to hear over and over again.

  “I guess I can give you guys a chance,” she said.

  “I’ve never been shopping with a woman,” Eric said. “I’m sure it’s fascinating.”

  “You won’t be saying that once we start searching for clothes that look good on her,” I said, winking at Ella.

  “Anything would look good on her. A paper bag would look good on her.”

  I saw her blush out of the corner of my eye and look out of the window. We pulled up to the parking garage for the mall and parked, then went inside. The place was massive and busy, filled with people going in and out of stores.

  “Where do we start?” I asked her. She shrugged.

  “I guess we walk around.”

  We went into the first store we found that sold women’s dresses, and the three of us started going through the racks to find a dress that would suit her for the party. I pulled a couple off the rack and she raised her eyebrows when she saw them.

  “Those won’t even cover my ass,” she said. I grinned at her, biting my lip, then put them back without a word. She shook her head at me although she looked amused. I found some more suitable dresses and handed them to her, then she took the ones we had chosen and went into the dressing room.

  “You have to come out and show us,” I said to her after a few minutes.

  “No way,” she said. “No.”

  “Come on, Ella,” I said in my most coaxing tone. I heard her sigh.

  “Fine.”

  The door opened and she came out wearing a sapphire blue dress that brought out her eyes. It was tight, hugging her curves in a way that was mouthwatering to behold. I tried my best not to stare at her, not to drink in her body, every lush line of it.

  “Turn around,” Eric said, and his voice was a little tight, sounding like he was feeling the same way I was. Ella gave us a shy look but then did a spin, giving us a view of her cute, round ass, emphasized by the tightness of the dress. I felt myself exhale when she turned around, as if I had been holding my breath.

  “More,” I said to her. “I want to see all of them.”

  She gave me a look before going back into the dressing room, emerging several times with a different dress on each time. Eric had been right—everything looked good on her, whether it was looser than the first one or just as tight. I knew the right dress when I saw it though, when Ella came out of the dressing room in a little black dress that flattered her body perfectly. It went down to her mid-thigh, showing off just a teasing hint of her long legs. There was a deep v in the front that was somehow tasteful, though it was daring in that it dipped below her breasts and showed the inside curves of them.

  “That one,” I said, and Eric said the same thing at almost the same time.

  “Really?” she asked, spinning around and looking at herself in the mirror. “I still have two more to try on.”

  “You don’t need to,” Eric said.

  “No, that’s perfect.”

  She smiled then. “Thank you.”

  I nodded. She went back into the dressing room and came out in her regular clothes, then we paid for the dress and left. We spent the rest of the day finishing our shopping, walking into the party store as our very last stop.

  “What are we doing here?” Ella asked.

  “We need masks,” Eric said.

  “It’s a masquerade party?”

  “Yes,” he said. We went over to the masquerade masks and began trying them on. Ella found a feathered one that was black and ended at her nose so that her lips were still visible. I nodded at her and she helped Eric and me pick out masks, which we got to match each other so that nobody could tell us apart.

  When we got back to the house, we all went upstairs to get ready for dinner. I was waiting for Ella in the kitchen by the time she came down.

  “You were serious?” she asked. I nodded.

  “You’re not doing this alone every night. Not while I’m here.”

  “Okay,” she said, surprise in her voice. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now what do I do?”

  She laughed. “I’ll tell you.”

  We set to work, moving around the kitchen together in silence. She brushed against me once, her body trembling, and I found myself frozen and unable to pull away. She stood there close to me, looking up into my face. The tension was so palpable then I could feel it all throughout my body, could feel it affecting me in a way that made my cock rise. I almost kissed her, almost took her mouth with mine before she pulled away, going back to work as if she were trying to pretend it hadn’t happened. I could see her hands shaking slightly as she chopped what was in front of her and imagined that she was as affected as I was; I wondered for a moment if that meant her pussy was wet, if her nipples were hard and aching to be touched. I would have loved to put my hands on her then but I did
n’t dare, instead helping her finish up cooking before we brought the food to the table.

  I sat across from Ella, catching her eye often. I couldn’t stop looking at her, making sure to sneak my glances when my mother wasn’t looking. She was astute, I knew, and she disliked both Ella and me anyway. Ella would always hold my gaze for a moment before looking away. She was quiet as she always was and I wondered what she was thinking, if she was as distracted as I was just being in the room with her.

  Dinner seemed to drag as mostly my mother and Eric talked about his work and about the party. Afterward, Ella went upstairs to help put her grandmother to bed. I was waiting for her when she came out of the room and she ran into me as she turned the corner, bumping against my chest. I felt something flare up inside me when her body pressed to mine and I took her arms in my hands, holding her close for a moment. She didn’t try to pull away, but looked at my face with an expression that could only be described as desire. There was no way for her to hide it from me and I didn’t want her to.

  I found myself tilting my face to hers, going to take her mouth in a kiss, but my lips made contact with her cheek instead when she turned her face away. I kissed it softly, then pulled back and away from her. The look on her face was intense but confused, and she shook her head as if waking up from a reverie.

  “Did you want something?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I told her, my voice deep and almost hoarse.

  “What is it?”

  “I just—I wanted to say goodnight. And thank you for going out with us today.”

  “I should be thanking you,” she pointed out. “For the dress.”

  “You already did. We’re happy to do it. That dress is incredible.”