Excuses

by wingeddserpent

Summary:

Dallas tries to look after his sister.

When she gets home, Dallas is waiting for her. “Where were you?” he asks, face hard in a way she’s not accustomed to.

“I went to find you,” she says, her eyes wide, her hands clasped. “I thought—I thought we were going to eat together tonight, so I...”

He cuts her off by the closing the distance between them, pressing closer until she’s backed into a wall and she can feel his heat. His breath smells of smoke and drink and she winces, because these are not things she wants to associate with her brother.

“Don’t you know it’s dangerous out there?” he asks, voice quiet, and she shivers.

Eve takes a breath that’s more gasp than anything else, and she says, “I just... I wanted to see you.”

“And you went by yourself and everything, didn’t you?” he asks, his eyes darkening, “You gotta be more careful, Eve.”

“Yes, brother,” she murmurs and hangs her head.

Dallas tilts her chin up. “Hey, now. Why the long face? I just worry about you. Pretty girl like you? Out by herself at night?  I’m just lookin’ after you, Eve.”

She nods again, trying to ignore his heat, and the look on his face that’s not anger—but burns like it—and she shivers again. “You cold?” he asks, a rasp in his voice she’s never heard before.

“I... I think,” she stammers, “I think I’m tired. I’m—I’m going to bed?”

With a sigh, he presses his mouth to her forehead, and then steps back, and she tenses at the loss of his warmth, trying to regain her breath and her wits, but she feels hot all over, shaking, and she tries for a smile. “Night,” Dallas says, already walking away.

“Goodnight,” she murmurs, and then all but flees upstairs.

Somehow, she has the feeling she’s not going to sleep all that well.