"Please stay." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. My nose dug into his back, something I knew he hated with a passion. "When it comes to someone I need in times like this, there's never going to be another you."

"Give me one good reason." The bluntness in his voice was hard to ignore.

"You're the only one that can protect me from him." I whimpered into his shirt. "You're my brother, and I know I may have betrayed you this spring, but I need you.