“I feel like I'm inside a snow globe!" I've got a blanket wrapped around me with my nose an inch from the terrace doors in Luke's bedroom. It's early, the sun still rising. Behind me Luke is still lying in bed, propped up on pillows, watching me.

Below me Philadelphia is covered in a blanket of snow with more falling. "It's beautiful." I turn and flash Luke a grin. "I love this view during the snow."

"I love you."

Did I hear that correctly? I take a moment and then turn my attention away from the snow swirling outside to focus on Luke. The comforter is resting at his waist, his chest bare.

"Come back to bed." He holds out a hand, beckoning me to him. I walk slowly back to bed but stop short of climbing back in. Did it just slip out? Did he mean to say it? Did he actually say it or did I mistake him? Crap. Now I’m just standing here and it’s awkward. Should I tell him I couldn’t hear him? No. It’s too late for that. Now I’m nervous. I fidget and peek at him under my lashes.

He smirks. "You want me to say it again?"

"Yeah."

"Get your ass back in bed."

I sigh and roll my eyes as he laughs.

"I love you, Sophie," he repeats and I grin. "Now get your ass back in bed so I can show you how much."

---

"I want waffles," I say when I've regained the ability to speak. "I love waffles." I turn my head and grin at Luke.

"What else do you love?"

"Syrup."

"And?"

"Whipped cream."

"You can suck whipped cream off my cock if you want."

"I love sucking your cock."

"You'd love my cock in your ass even more."

"Maybe later." I wink.

He rolls on top of me then and pins my hands above my head while biting my neck. "Tease."

I buck underneath him, trying to get some friction on my clit, but he holds himself out of reach. "You're the tease, Doctor."

"You want it right now?" He moves both of my hands into one of his and uses his free hand to tease me. He slides a finger into me, coating it with my fluids and the come he just left in me, then slides it back into my ass.

I grunt or moan or whimper, I'm not sure what's coming out of my mouth. He's done this before with his finger and I like it. It's so wrong, forbidden, dirty. The sensations are different yet similar.

"Tell me you want it, Sophie."

"No." I shake my head, but I grind myself against his hand, encouraging him. He slides his finger out and adds a second as he slides back in.

"Mmm." I suck in my bottom lip and breathe out. Then Luke places his thumb on my clit and starts working me into a frenzy as he spreads his fingers inside of my ass, stretching me.

"You like it, baby?"

"Yes."

"Tell me you want my cock in your ass."

"No. Make me come."

"Such a demanding little hussy."

"Please, Luke!" I'm near inconsolable with need right now. I just came ten minutes ago but I am on edge again, I need the release.

Luke slides down my body and replaces his thumb with his mouth and sucks my clit between his teeth and bites gently. I come so hard I think I black out for a second. He pulls me to him and strokes the back of my head, then carries me from the bed to the walk-in shower where he proceeds to lather me in suds from head to toe. But it doesn't feel sexual. It just feels like being cared for.

I lean back, relaxing into Luke's chest with the water streaming over us. He washes my hair and then pulls my right arm up and bends it, placing my hand on the back of his neck. I massage his neck with my fingers as he lathers my breast with more suds. I sigh in contentment. I could stay in this shower all day if I didn't want waffles so badly.

Wait a minute. "Are you giving me a breast exam right now?" I ask.

Luke removes my right hand from his neck and replaces it with my left. "Yes."

I drop my arm. "Luke, that is so weird."

He picks my hand up and puts it back on his neck. "Are you checking yourself every month?" He kisses my earlobe.

"No," I admit. I'm twenty-one, I want to add sulkily. My boobs are perfect.

"I don't want anything to happen to your perfect tits," he says as he continues. "They're mine."

Well, that was a pretty caveman thing to say. Yet I want to bend over and tell him to fuck me however he wants, so I guess it was effective. I turn around instead, interrupting his exam, and wrap my arms around his neck so I can pull him close enough to kiss. Then I push him away and step out of the shower.

"Hey," he protests.

"Waffles!" I call out as I dry off.

"We need to go shopping this weekend," Luke announces as he enters the kitchen a few minutes later.

"How domestic," I reply. "And here I thought Mrs. Geiger did all your shopping. You don't like to put lube on her grocery lists?"

He smacks my behind and then cages me in by placing both hands on the counter around me. "I have plenty of lube, you impertinent slut, just say the word." He kisses my neck then pushes off the counter. "You need a dress."

"For?" I ask.

"For the hospital gala. I told you about it."

"I'm certain you didn't." He didn't. Gina did.

"I'll need you to attend with me, Sophie. It's next weekend, so we need to find you a dress today."

"I'm meeting Boyd for lunch."

Luke's jaw ticks and he rubs his temple. "Why?"

"Why?" I question as I move a waffle from the maker to a plate. "He's my brother. Do I need a reason to have lunch with him?"

"Yes."

"Excuse me?" I stop with a measuring cup mid-pour over the waffle iron. Luke has moved to the Keurig and is watching the coffee drip into a mug.

"Was I unclear?"

I stare at him for a moment, dumbfounded, then finish pouring batter into the waffle maker before returning my attention to Luke. He's leaning against the counter, arms crossed, sipping from his mug.

"You're the boss of when I see my brother?"

"You're my responsibility."

I'm not sure if I should laugh or slap him. "Okay," I reply, drawing out the word. It's not okay, but Luke should be well versed at his age in the subtleties of the female response. There are about twenty definitions to the word okay when speaking to a woman.

"The last time you saw Boyd he got you drunk." Luke takes the plate I offer him and sits at the breakfast table in front of the window, but his eyes are on me. I remove the last waffle from the maker and drop it on my plate before sitting across from him.

"Boyd didn't get me drunk, I got myself drunk." I shake the can of whipped cream as I speak.

"He shouldn't have let you."

"Let me?" This conversation is getting more ridiculous by the second. "He doesn't own me, so why is he responsible for me?"

"Don't be cute, Sophie. He should have taken better care of you."

"Give him a break, Luke."

The fingers of Luke's left hand tap on the table. "I should get to know him then. What time is lunch?"

"I just walked right into that, didn't I?"

Luke smiles, smug in the knowledge that he got what he wanted. "You don't want to have lunch with both of us?"

I shrug. "Seems awkward."

He leans back in his chair and smirks. "I'm awkward?"

"You're never awkward and you know it." He's dressed for the day in a gray sweater and dark jeans. His hair is still damp from the shower and I want to sit on his lap and breathe in his aftershave while running my fingers through his hair, but we have things to do.

"Just be…" I trail off.

Luke raises a brow at me in question.

I sigh. "Nice."

"Whatever you want, Sophie." He's so agreeable. When he gets what he wants.

We walk to Joan Shepp, an upscale store just up the street from Luke's, to look for a dress for this gala. Well, Luke discusses options with a saleswoman—I just stand there fidgeting.

"She'll try all of these," Luke says, indicating the selection the saleswoman has pulled.

"Luke, no." I pull at his arm. I don't think I want any of these dresses. This store is making me nervous. I cannot afford to shop here.

"You haven't even tried them on yet. If you don't like any of these we can try another store after lunch."

Alone in a dressing room I undress and finger the price tags. I know a dress from Target isn't going to cut it in Luke's world, but I didn't realize the discrepancy was so great. Three thousand, six hundred and ninety-five dollars. Eighteen hundred dollars. Two thousand, four hundred and twenty-five dollars. Wait, here's a bargain—nine hundred and fifteen dollars. I'm sure Luke intends to pay, but I have no frame of reference for this. The nicest dress I've ever worn was to my prom and my prom date most certainly did not take me to the store and buy my dress.

There's a knock on the door. It's the saleswoman asking how the dresses are fitting and letting me know that the gentleman would like to see the fit.

I groan and pull the "cheap" dress off the hanger and slide it on. It's pretty, gray and slinky with a plunging neckline. I'm not wearing heels so it drags on the floor. I pinch the fabric at mid-thigh with my fingertips to raise the hem and walk out to find Luke. He's texting but stops and frowns when he sees my face.

"What's wrong? You don't like this one?" His gaze runs up and down my form. "It fits you perfectly."

I shake my head no. "Can we leave?" I ask quietly. Luke examines my face, waiting for more from me, but it's not coming.

"Okay," he agrees, but I can tell he's confused.

I strip out of the dress and change back into my jeans and sweater as quickly as possible and sigh in relief.

We exit the shop and walk towards Market Street. We're meeting Boyd at the Capital Grille.

"Care to explain, Sophie?" Luke interrupts my thoughts as we walk. His eyes are focused ahead.

I shrug.

"Words, please."

"I don't want you to buy me a dress."

"Why not?"

I shrug again.

"Sophie." His tone indicates he's not amused.

"I just don't."

He's quiet then as we walk, our feet crunching over the shoveled sidewalks, cars swooshing past us on the street.

"Did you want me to find another date so you can stay home?"

"Like Gina?" I retort.

"What the hell does Gina have to do with this?" He sounds close to exhausted with me but I shrug again. I'm pretty sure based on the tick in his jaw that he'd be spanking my ass right now if we weren't in the middle of the street. I know I'm behaving like a brat, but I don't have any answers for Luke. I don't know how to express why the dress bothers me, but it does. Maybe it signifies how different we are. Buying expensive dresses and attending galas is not anything I see in my future, even after graduation.

"This is a black-tie event, Sophie, you need an appropriate dress if you're going to attend, and I'd like you to attend."

"I want to go with you." I trail off and then Luke gets a call, so I'm saved from elaborating. We've reached the Capital Grille on Chestnut, where we’re meeting Boyd for lunch. Luke indicates I should go in while he finishes his call and I gladly take the opportunity to postpone this conversation.

Lunch is slightly nerve-racking. Luke spends the hour interrogating Boyd, which Boyd seems oblivious to, thankfully.

I'm trying to get to know Boyd. I'm not sure that we have much in common, but he's family. I don't know why Luke joined us, as he seems more interested in finding a reason why I shouldn't associate with Boyd than in getting to know him.

We part ways outside and I give Boyd a hug. I watch him walk away for a moment then turn and start walking with Luke in the opposite direction.

"I thought you agreed to be nice to Boyd, Luke."

"I wasn't nice?"

I roll my eyes and Luke raises his eyebrows.

“You were a little aggressive.”

"Okay. I’ll work on that." He takes my hand and we walk on in silence.

"What if I can't find a job right away?" I blurt out. "After graduation."

"I'll help you."

"Luke, no! That's not what I meant. And you're a doctor, how are you going to help me find an accounting job?"

"I meant financially, but I'm sure I could line up some interviews for you as well. Hospitals have plenty of accounting work."

"I meant, what if I have to waitress until I find a job? Are you still going to want to take me to charity galas? I'm a barista now, it's not any different than waitressing, I just make less money."

Luke pulls me over against a building, out of the path of people walking past, and puts his hand under my chin, tilting my face up to his. "Sophie, what are you getting at?"

"Why do you love me? I'm a college student and you're… you! You're a doctor with a trust fund and a fancy penthouse. You're cultured and associate with people who host charity events or sit on boards of companies. You have a housekeeper, Luke. I do my laundry in a coin-operated machine that I share with a hundred other students."

He tilts his head a little as he listens to me, then backs me into the brick wall of the store we're standing in front of and drops his forehead to mine and shuts me up with a kiss.