Wanting

Author's Note: This is a story about power, desire, family tensions, and primal urges. It's a story about wanting and trying not to want. A strong thread of reluctance runs through the narrative. The sex is sensual, but be aware ? if reluctance isn't your thing, this story probably won't be, either.
Summary: When Andie visits her wealthy relatives the summer after college, she must deal with her uneasy attraction to her cousin during a crossroads in her life.
This is an entry for the Literotica 2016 Summer Lovin' Contest.
Many thanks to OliviaM, PikovayaDama, Rachel, and Christine for their insights as beta readers.
Enjoy.
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June sunset flamed over tall oaks, arching shadows across my relatives' rolling backyard. But "yard" didn't begin to describe the stretches of land wrapping my aunt and uncle's house: the tennis courts, the pool, the terraced gardens, the golf range, the deep-rooted trees thickening to dark woods, and the broad patio lit with swaying glass lanterns.
Staff overran the patio: caterers, servers, bartenders and musicians setting up. My Aunt Rose hustled from end to end, heels clicking on the paving stones, giving orders.
Fanning my flushed face and trying to look like I belonged here, I eyed Rose's shimmering cascade of champagne-colored hair, her lean calves flashing across the patio, her glossy lips and long lashes.
As a kid, I'd thought Aunt Rose was the most beautiful woman in the world. On family visits, I'd hovered near her, ooh-ing and ah-ing over her gold and diamond jewelry. I'd made the mistake of telling my mom, who'd made sure I knew ? in more detail than a 7-year-old needed ? that every bit of her sister was fake. But fifteen years later, I still thought she was gorgeous. I was still a little in awe.
"Andrea." My aunt stopped in front of me, mid-bustle. I shifted, balancing on my wedge heels. Without them, I was 5'2" on a good day. "Lovely dress, dear. It more or less works for tonight. Though you really should have had Marisol take a look. The hem is wrinkled. We'll plan a shopping trip for later this week."
"Thanks, Aunt Rose." I bent to pick up a flower that had fallen out of an arrangement. The staff had already ordered me not to help. But standing still while people rushed around felt more awkward than I could handle. "It's really okay."
My cousin Will lounged against one of the tables, sipping a mojito. A year younger than me, Will was going into his senior year of college: Ivy-wrapped, the son of my uncle's legacy. Curious green eyes took in my white eyelet dress, traveling over the tiny straps that bared my shoulders, the scoop neck showing a generous sprinkle of freckles, the tight bodice hugging my small breasts and slim waist before it flared out to a full skirt. Maybe he had a problem with the hem, too.
I blinked at him, annoyed by his frank stare. Crossing my arms over my breasts, I stared right back at his high cheekbones, square jaw, pinbahis güvenilirmi and full lips. His brown hair waved around his ears. His green eyes unsettled me. His body was one lithe line. I'd remembered Will being pretty when we were kids. Since then, he'd gone from pretty boy to beautiful man, in a way that was never a good idea.
His clear gaze moved up to my face. All I saw was amusement. Not a trace of embarrassment that I'd caught him checking me out ? in front of his mom. Sweat pooled under my arms. I'd worn my hair down tonight, and my neck felt damp under the long ginger waves. When Will's perfect teeth flashed at me, the sweat turned to prickles.
"Thursday afternoon?" Aunt Rose was saying. "I'll have Tony drive me into the city."
"Thanks." I'd constantly been saying thank you for the past week, ever since I'd arrived at my relatives' house for the summer. "I work til 5 at least, sometimes later since I'm just starting, and it's very nice of you but really not necessary?"
"Just take some time off. And I have to disagree with you, Andrea." Her gaze swept my cotton dress and fringed sandals. "I'd say it is necessary."
"Andie said no, Mom," Will broke in. His voice was a casual command. "Let her be."
Rose shrugged her slim shoulders. "Sara, can we take care of this table over here?" She turned away, giving orders to the caterer.
Will held up his empty glass and crooked an eyebrow at a uniformed girl hurrying by. It wasn't a finger snap, but it felt like one. Especially when I saw how quickly she took that glass out of his hands.
"Andie, you want a drink?" I looked up and met Will's white smile. He'd come over next to me. A crisp shirt sleeve brushed my bare arm as he gestured toward the well-stocked bar. I shook my head, dizzy now.
"No. But thanks," I murmured. My face was hot. "For before. I really don't need new clothes. Especially ones your mom picks out." Will raised dark eyebrows. His silence pushed me to talk. "I mean, she has good taste. She always looks amazing. I just don't need to look like her. But...is the dress okay?"
A slow grin spread over his face. When he touched my waist, my breath caught. His hand paused on my hip, then smoothed my long hair back from my face. Fingers slipped under my thin cotton straps and centered them on my shoulders, grazing my bare skin. Quick hands brushed down the eyelet skirt. He briefly stroked my cheek.
"You look nice."
"Thanks," I managed again. A warm blush seeped down my chest. I was suddenly, painfully aware of my swollen nipples, hard and pressing against the snug bodice. I hadn't worn a bra.
Right then, the uniformed girl hurried up with a fresh drink and an enticing smile for Will. I turned away to fix a torn streamer, as the first tide of guests surged into the garden.
Aunt Rose reappeared and took my fingers in a grip of delicate steel. Bending my wrist in the air, she led me from one person to another, gushing with introductions:
"This pinbahis yeni giriş is my niece Andrea...just graduated college with honors...working in publishing this summer...we're so happy to have her with us for a few months."
The day after graduation, I'd picked up the phone and heard my aunt's smooth voice on the other end. Stunned barely described my reaction. She'd heard the "unfortunate" news from my mother. So very sorry for all of us, and so surprised. Divorce took such a toll. Surely my parents had made every effort. And did I have plans? A job all lined up? Not yet? Of course, it could be so challenging if you didn't have the right connections. She and Uncle Richard wanted to help. Will, too. Would I come for the summer? No, no trouble at all. They had plenty of room. And it would be so nice to have the cousins together.
24 hours later, I'd had a summer job in the city, a train ticket, and a packed bag ready to go in three weeks.
A sharp tug on my hand ? Aunt Rose ? pulled my attention back to the garden party. The crowd was thickening, getting louder, as the patio overflowed with friends of my aunt and uncle, friends of Will. The garden party split very obviously into two generations, and I was mingling with the older one. I smiled politely, shook hands, made small talk, and nodded when Aunt Rose whispered in my ear that this or that person was important and I should remember them.
"So you're in publishing," one important person said. I'd already forgotten his name. "Not an easy job to get."
"For the summer." Because my uncle pulled strings. "I'm hoping it will bring more opportunities."
"Do you visit your relatives often?"
"We try." It's been seven years. And that last visit ended in a fight.
"How generous of your aunt and uncle to host you for the summer. You must be very close."
"Yes, I'm very grateful." And I still don't know why they decided to talk to me.
When Aunt Rose had said "garden party," I'd expected a string quartet and fine china. But this was loud music and free-flowing cocktails. More and more people crowded under the swinging lanterns, laughing and trading stories like they'd known each other forever. They probably had. When Rose let go of my hand to laugh gaily at a comment by one of the important people, I begged off to get a drink and threaded towards the cocktail bar.
Hemmed in on all sides, I watched Will, surrounded by people. Beautiful girls, vying for his attention. He smiled at them all, but he didn't return the light touches, the giddy side-hugs.
Uncle Richard came up next to him, dropping a heavy hand on his son's shoulder and rubbing the muscle by his neck. My uncle was broad and solid, beefy to Will's leanness. Looking from him to my aunt, a tiny glittering pinpoint flashing through the crowd, I wondered where Will's tall grace had come from.
A couple of the girls beamed at Richard, flirting. He chucked them under the chin and they tossed back pinbahis giriş thick shiny hair, obviously working for his attention. Will leaned close to say something to his father, and both men laughed. But from where I stood, Will and Richard talked past each other, not to each other.
Relieved to be left alone, I tried a shrimp cocktail from a passing server, the girl who'd scurried to fetch Will a drink. Her eyes still followed him. The shrimp was salty on my tongue, the music getting louder in my ears.
That seven-years-ago visit had been at my family's house. My mom had cleaned all day, cursing and arguing with my dad. I'd helped, turning up the radio to drown out the sound of maybe you could ask, just ASK your sister to help us out financially with...
Aunt Rose and Uncle Richard had brought two bottles of very expensive wine, a driver who stayed in the car, and 14-year-old Will. Ten minutes into dinner, as soon as the arguments started about my grandfather's messy estate, Will had pushed back his chair and left the room. Just like that.
I'd found him in the backyard, sitting on the fence, smoking and looking at his phone. His clothes were perfectly pressed.
"Hey, cousin." He gave me a slow smile. "Don't you think it's funny how much our parents hate each other?"
"No." I cleared my throat. "I don't. And you don't either. Otherwise you'd be inside, watching, so you could laugh."
Will focused those unnerving green eyes on me. Then he patted the fence next to him. For a second, I'd stood still. Then I'd shaken my head and hurried inside.
"Hello, sweetheart." A handsome face blocked my view of the garden party, interrupting my thoughts. Handsome, unfamiliar, and my age. I blinked at his broad smile, my fingers closing around the frosty glass he handed me. Another boy flanked my other side, edging me in with his navy blazer-clad shoulder. "You wanted this, right? Gin and tonic. I'm Spencer."
I'd never loved G there couldn't be. I'd fended off drunk guys before, though none of them had gone that far. None of them had been my cousin. And none of them had left my body flushed and aching.
The silent house reassured me. The clock on my dresser pointed to eleven. My aunt and uncle lived in a house full of people ? maids, a chef, gardeners, drivers and security ? but Aunt Rose had informed me that Sunday was the house staff's day off, and the peaceful quiet told me my relatives were out. I could walk barefoot to the kitchen in my ancient nightshirt, half-awake and yawning, and drink all the coffee in the world while I flipped through the paper and talked to no one.
Padding into the kitchen, I stopped suddenly. A lone male leaned back in a kitchen chair. Wet dark hair curled around his ears. Unlike me, Will was fully dressed in a lavender polo shirt girls only wished they looked so pretty in, khakis, a brown leather belt, and shoes to match. I caught myself staring at sleek male muscles, bare tanned arms, a heavy watch that glinted under the blown-glass hanging lamps.
And he was the last person who needed to see my sweaty tumble of red hair, the oversized t-shirt I'd loved long enough to wear holes in, and my bare legs. One look at me, and he'd know all I had on underneath was a pair of skimpy panties.