As Zenjiro carried her down the dark hallway, his left hand pressed flat against Liora's middle back. His right palm pushed firmly against her lower body from below to keep her steady.
He took a step.
The movement caused her soft body to bounce slightly against him. The heavy weight shifted downward into his right hand. He felt the thick, rough fabric of her pleated uniform skirt rub against his palm. But beneath the heavy cloth, he felt the undeniable, intense heat of her bare skin.
He took another step.
Liora breathed heavily against his neck. Her slow, rhythmic breaths perfectly synced with his own rapid panting. Her chest pressed completely flat against his gray shirt. The intense warmth radiated from her upper body directly into his ribs. At the exact same time, his right hand absorbed the heavy shock of her lower body bouncing against his palm.
His brain completely overloaded.
He tried to look at the dark walls of the hallway, but his vision blurred. The entire house simply disappeared from his world. The cold floorboards beneath his bare feet did not matter. The silence didn't matter. All he could focus on was the suffocating heat burning into him from three different spots. He imagined the incredibly thin cotton barrier separating his lower stomach from her forbidden territory below. The vivid mental image destroyed the last remaining shreds of his rational mind.
He reached the open door of their bedroom.
The heavy tension in Liora's legs suddenly vanished. The tight clamp around his hips just fell away. Gravity pulled her bare feet straight down toward the floorboards. Her arms went totally slack around his neck.
Zenjiro was in too much of a chaotic mess to notice the shift immediately.
He stepped inside the dark bedroom and stopped. He just stood there near the foot of her bed. He didn't move a single inch. Liora's eyes were completely closed. Her head rested dead against his shoulder.
Thirty seconds passed in absolute silence.
Zenjiro finally realized he was standing still for way too long. He blinked hard. Confusion cut through the thick fog in his head. Liora should be complaining right now. She should be asking annoying questions or demanding he put her down.
"Liora," Zenjiro whispered into the dark room.
She did not answer. Her breathing remained deep and perfectly steady.
He could easily just drop her onto the mattress right now. He was standing directly beside it. But his body violently refused the logical command. His arms locked tightly into place. His physical instincts craved the heavy, burning sensation of her body pressed against his. His mind was a total, ruined wreck.
He called her name a second time. He needed to confirm the situation.
Is she actually sleeping? Zenjiro thought.
He called her a third time. Only the quiet hum of the night outside answered him.
At that moment, he felt the thrill.
He knew exactly what he was supposed to do. He needed to let her go. But if he dropped her onto the mattress and walked away to his own bed, the intense, satisfying heat would vanish instantly. The dark thrill would end.
He formulated a fast, desperate cover story. He needed a perfect alibi just in case she was actually awake and playing a prank on him.
"Liora," Zenjiro said. His voice was slightly louder this time. "If you won't answer me, I won't drop you to your bed. Stop playing games now."
It was a flawless excuse. If she was genuinely sleeping, he could hold her in the dark for as long as he wanted. If she was just pretending to sleep, he had a solid defense prepared. He would just claim he was waiting for her to answer him to teach her a lesson.
He knew exactly what he was doing. Holding her suspended like this was an act of pure malice. It was entirely twisted. After forcefully grabbing Clara's bare breast in the kitchen, the dam had completely broken. His body actively hungered for more forbidden contact. His arms refused to let his sister go.
He stood there in the dead silence for five full minutes.
His left hand stayed planted on her back. His right hand stayed firmly pressed against her bottom. He absorbed her body heat until his own legs started to shake from the physical exhaustion of holding her dead weight.
He finally got too tired to stand.
He took one step sideways and sat down heavily on the very edge of Liora's mattress.
He didn't let her go. He just let her knees drop onto the soft blankets. The downward shift transferred her heavy weight directly onto his lap. His right hand was finally freed from under her.
He called her name one last time. She didn't stir.
He pushed her upper body back just a few inches. He needed absolute, undeniable confirmation. He raised his right hand and pressed his thumb gently against her left eyelid. He peeled the skin slowly upward in the dim light.
He saw pure white. Her pupil was rolled completely back.
She really was asleep. The sudden intake of cheap, strong beer on an empty stomach had acted like a fast sedative. Combined with the massive adrenaline crash and the absolute safety of her brother's embrace, her exhausted body simply shut down.
Zenjiro let her eyelid drop.
He wrapped both of his arms around her waist. He pulled her limp body forcefully toward him. He yanked her tight against his chest. He wanted to feel the crushing heat again.
The violent momentum caused their clothing to shift. The heavy pleats of her skirt bunched up over her hips. The back side of the fabric slid completely off his lap. At the exact same moment, the leg of Zenjiro's gray shorts rode high up his thigh.
The barriers completely vanished.
A large patch of bare skin on his lap collided directly against the warm, bare skin of Liora's inner thigh.
Zenjiro gasped quietly. It was incredibly hot.
He pushed her lower body even tighter against his waist. Her bent knees trapped him on the edge of the mattress. He felt the soft pressure of her chest crushing against his ribs. He felt the intense, burning warmth radiating from her forbidden territory directly against his center.
Zenjiro closed his eyes.