Explorations 2.0

Explorations 2.0

A note from the author:

This work of fiction is a direct continuation of the story from Explorations 1.0, If you haven't read that one yet, please do. All people, events, and specific places, exist only in my mind and on these pages. Events portrayed are between consenting adults over the age of eighteen. Although it sets a label for the theme of this story, the title "Explorations" primarily refers to the exploration of scenes in my imagination and my ability to translate those into a story that can be understood and enjoyed.

Thanks for reading.

Chapter One

I pressed the green 'send' button and put my phone to my ear as it began to ring. It rang only once before the clear voice of an angel excitedly asked, "Hello?".

"Hi, Melissa! I made it home safe," I replied with an equal amount of excitement.

"I miss you already," Melissa said with a sigh.

"I miss you too."

Hearing her voice and remembering the events of the last couple of days, made me hard. As we talked, about nothing in particular, I absently rubbed my erection through my jeans. We talked for about an hour, before we were both running out of things to say.

"When can we see each other again?" She asked the question I know she had been dying to ask since she first said hello."

"I'm already on the schedule to work open to close all of next weekend, and I don't think I could get away with taking two weekends off in a row."

"Yeah, I have to work too." She said. "My bosses are going out of town, so there's no way I could get out of it."

"What about the weekend after that? I could probably get it off." I asked hopefully.

"Me too." Then, excitedly. "That Saturday is Halloween! We could go to a party?"

"That sounds like fun. Up there, or down here?" I asked, meaning where she lived in Duluth, or where I did in the Twin Cities.

"Up here. There won't be any brothers sneaking around to overhear us."

We both laughed, still slightly embarrassed that my older brother Mark had heard us making love in my tent before dawn that very morning.

"I'll figure out what party we'll go to. You need to make up a convincing excuse for your parents on why you're going to be in Duluth all weekend." She said, reminding us both of the importance of keeping our relationship a secret.

"I can do that." I didn't want to stop talking with Melissa ever, but I knew I had to. Sighing, I said. "I have to work early tomorrow. I should go get something to eat and get to bed."

"Yeah, me too," Her reluctance to end the call was evident. "I'll call you at about eight tomorrow night?"

"I'll be here," I said, already excited at the prospect of talking with her again.

"I love you, Charles."

Those simple words made my heart flutter.

"I love you, Melissa," I replied, and in an unspoken agreement that we wouldn't say goodbye, we both ended the call.

I sat there for a while, my heart still fluttering. In less than two weeks, I'll see her again. This time, I'll be going to her place in Duluth. The idea of spending a weekend with her, without having to worry about being found out, made me almost giddy with excitement. That night, when I jerked off before falling asleep, it was with the thought of what Melissa and I would do alone in her apartment.

When she called me the next day, it was with her new cell phone. She said she had to get one because now she had important calls that she couldn't miss. It wasn't a big thing, but it felt good that she would do it just to make sure she could talk to me.

We talked every night for the next week and a half and made our plans for the upcoming weekend. I would go up after work Friday night, and then on Saturday, we would go to a party that one of Melissa's friends, Ashley, was already planning on going to. Melissa excitedly explained that we were going to double date with her friend and her friend's boyfriend, James and that they already had a plan for a costume theme. As curious as I was, Melissa playfully refused to tell me what the theme was, saying that she would take care of getting our costumes together.

I had gotten in touch with a high school friend of mine who had started classes at the state university. Rob was a year older than me and had been living in a dorm on campus. I asked him straight up if I could use visiting him as an excuse for being in Duluth with a girl I didn't want my parents to know about. (I specifically did not mention who this girl was.)

"You'll owe me one." He had said, laughing. "But I got you, bro."

The days went by slowly, the growing ache in my heart tempered only by our nightly phone calls. Knowing that I would hear her voice in the evening, was something I looked forward to from the moment the previous call ended. I loved our talks, even when neither of us had anything particularly interesting to say. But I needed more. I needed to hold her, smell her, and taste her on my lips.

The most anticipated Friday had finally come. Since I was taking the rest of the weekend off, my boss had convinced me to work a long shift. A twelve-hour shift that started at eight in the morning sucked, but the money was nice. Besides, Melissa had to work until eight to close up the store she worked at anyway.

My work was busy most of the day, the store being filled with people buying last-minute Halloween decorations, or supplies to get one more project done while the weather was still decent. In the evening, business trailed off, and by six-thirty, the store was nearly empty.

I tracked down the outdoor lumberyard supervisor, Gary, who was my immediate boss. I asked him if since it was so dead in the store, I could leave early. He laughed and asked if I had a hot date. I grinned and said that yeah, I actually did. He made shooing gestures at me with his hands and laughed again, telling me to hurry up and get out of there.

On my way out of the store, I went through a checkout line to buy a pack of breath mints. I saw disposable cameras hanging on a hook next to all the other assorted impulse-buy items they had on display there. I realized that I didn't have a single picture of Melissa, so I bought one of those too. Sales strategy: successful.

I had packed my bag the night before, so I left work and drove directly onto the freeway to head north. It was a little more than a two-hour drive to Duluth, but it seemed to take twice that long. I couldn't wait to hold Melissa again. My mouth watered at the thought of kissing her, and my pants got tight when I thought of the moans she would make as I made her cum. I had done some "research" in the time we had last seen each other, and I had a few new things I wanted to try.

So lost was I in my imagination, that I almost missed my exit. I pulled off the freeway, and onto Grand Ave. I was less than a mile away now, and the closer I got to her apartment, the more my anticipation grew. As I pulled into the parking lot, and stopped my truck next to Melissa's Toyota, my heart was pounding with excitement. I got out of my truck and was about to knock on her door, the one marked (appropriately, I thought) with the number ten.

Before I could knock, the door swung inwards, and there she was. Dressed in gray sweatpants and a pale pink tank top, she stood there for a moment, grinning at me like a little kid who had just opened a Christmas present to find the thing she had wanted most in the whole world.

Suddenly, she leaped forward and nearly knocked me over as she wrapped her arms around me. She buried her face against my neck, inhaling deeply.

"You're real." She said softly. She pulled back a bit and giggled when she saw the slightly confused expression on my face.

She kissed me, deeply and passionately. It was sweeter than I had dreamed about, more delicious than, well, words fail to describe it. All I can say is that after nearly two weeks apart, kissing her was pure bliss.

She made a soft moan into my mouth when I grabbed her ass and pulled her in tight to me. I could feel through her sweatpants that she wasn't wearing panties, and my cock twitched at the thought. Neither of us wanted to stop the kiss, but I felt her shiver in the crisp night air.

She broke off the kiss and took a half step towards the door. "It's cold out here, come inside."

"I gotta grab my backpack," I said pointing back to my truck.

"Close the door tight when you come in, it kinda sticks." She said, dashing inside and closing the door just enough so it didn't latch.

I grabbed my bag, and hurried in, bumping my back hard against the door until the latch clicked. I got my first look at her apartment. In a word, it was small. It was pretty much a converted motel room. There was a small living room in the front, nearly filled with just a couch, a small desk and chair, and a TV stand. Behind the couch was a countertop island, and just enough kitchen space to fit a refrigerator, a stove, and a sink. To the side of that, was a narrow hallway that I assumed led to the bathroom and bedroom.

The furnishings were second-hand, but the place was clean, and had a somewhat cozy feel to it. I had taken all this in in a few seconds, but then my eyes noticed something. On the floor in the living room was a pale pink tank top, the one Melissa had been wearing just a moment before.

I dropped my backpack next to the door and started towards the hallway. Though the front room was brightly lit, the hall and what lay beyond was dark. I found her sweatpants, then a little farther, a bra. My eyes were slowly becoming adjusted to the dark, and I could see the outline of a bed in the middle of a small room. As I approached, I began to undress, carelessly tossing my work clothes on the floor.

Now completely naked, I put my hands down on the edge of the bed and found her perfect bare feet. I caressed her soles for a moment, then slowly ran my hands up her legs. As I climbed onto the bed, my hands slid further up, and I followed them with a trail of light kisses.

When my face reached her groin, I could feel her squirm, eager for my touch. I could smell the wonderful scent of her arousal and could feel the heat of her radiating onto my face. Gently, I pushed her knees aside and slid my palms up her inner thighs. I lowered my face, and as softly as I could, I ran the tip of my tongue up the length of her labia.

She inhaled sharply and shuddered. I moved my tongue back down, with the gentlest of contact, and she rocked her hips towards me, desperate for me to do more. Slowly, I pushed my tongue against her hole, and licked her fully, her lips spreading as my tongue moved up. When it brushed across her clit, she twitched and groaned in pleasure.

I closed my mouth over her, and lapped gently, running my tongue between her lips and across her clit over and over. She put her hands on my head, holding my face to her as her moans grew louder. Every so often, I changed the motion of my tongue, how fast it went, and how hard or softly I licked her, paying close attention to how her body reacted, and making changes accordingly.

We fell into a rhythm, where she started rocking her hips in time with my tongue, and with every motion she expelled her rapid breath quick sharp groan. Suddenly, her hands grasped my hair tightly, and she held her breath as her whole body convulsed. She let out a long satisfied moan, her body continuing to twitch periodically.

I licked slowly alongside, and below her pussy, lapping up her delicious juices. She continued to moan, becoming quieter as she came down from her explosive orgasm.

I felt so much joy that I was able to do this to her. Her pleasure was my pleasure.

Finally, when she was able to speak, she gasped out. "Oh my God that was intense!" She pulled on the back of my head urgently. "Come here."

As I moved up, I quickly swiped a hand over my soaking wet face and smeared it on my cock.

The hands on the back of my head led my lips to hers, and when our mouths met, I guided my cock into her, burying myself as deeply as I could. We both exhaled a grunt of pleasure. Her legs wrapped tightly around me as we kissed furiously, losing ourselves to unbridled desire. I began to pump my cock in and out of her with deep, hard thrusts.

We had to stop kissing to breathe, so we just stared into each other's eyes. The connection we had made two weeks ago was somehow made stronger with our separation. As we gave ourselves completely to each other, we became something so much greater than ourselves. We were a single being, as beautiful as it was indestructible, burning brighter than the sun.

With every stroke, her legs pulled me into her, and she started gasping out the occasional word in her sharp exhalations, words like 'yes' and 'harder' and 'faster'. As I felt my orgasm building with unstoppable urgency, I could feel Melissa's build. In a positive feedback loop, her pleasure fueled my own, which in turn fueled hers. Again, as if we were a singular creature, we climaxed together. We never once broke eye contact as I filled her with my seed, and she spasmed tightly around my cock. We both exclaimed in exultant joy at the release.

I held her face with my hands, and she held mine. We kissed quickly, as we both struggled to catch our breath. I was in a state of utter awe. Before Melissa, I could never have imagined that it was possible to reach such a state of physical and emotional euphoria. Melissa's eyes were like mirrors to my soul. I saw reflected there, all the love I felt for her, all of my wonder, and my sense of ultimate unity.

Saying the words 'I love you' and hearing her respond in kind, would be so inadequate a way to express how we felt about each other, but I said them anyway.

"I love you, Melissa," I whispered.

"I love you, Charles." She whispered back.

We nuzzled each other's necks, both still buzzing in the come-down from our glorious lovemaking. Eventually, though, my cock went soft, and she made that adorable disappointed noise when it slipped out of her. I felt a bit of disappointment of my own, as the weariness of my long day began to set in, and I knew that I didn't have it in me to have a second go with Melissa. She reluctantly released me from the vise-like grip of her legs, and I moved onto my side next to her. She turned and lay on her side, facing away from me. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close, and she wiggled her butt until my sex-slick cock rested between her cheeks. She sighed with contentment.

"Melissa?"

"Hmm?" She responded.

"When I got here, what did you mean when you said that I was real?"

"It was because of a dream I had last night." She said, somewhat sheepishly.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's kind of silly now, but it was one of those dreams that seem so real. I dreamed that I was here waiting for you. I waited and waited, and you never showed up. So I called you, and your number was disconnected. I looked in my diary, I don't even have a diary, but for some reason, I did in the dream, and it was all just boring stuff. Not a single mention of you at all, not even from when we were just kids. In the dream, I came to the realization that I had imagined everything, that I had become so lonely that I made up my perfect guy, my perfect best friend, and you didn't actually exist."

"I'm here," I said. "All of this really happened."

"I know." She moved my hand that was around her chest up to her lips, kissing it. "It's just that it seemed so real, it just stuck with me all day, you know?"

"Have you been that lonely?" I asked, feeling a pang of sympathy.

She nodded slowly. "For as long as I can remember. I've got friends, but I've never been super close to any of them. I've never had anyone who I felt comfortable enough with to just be myself. No one except you."

I gave her a little squeeze, and she held my arm tightly to her chest.

She continued speaking. "I lived for those weekends at the cabin with you. It was the only thing I looked forward to, the only time growing up that I can remember being truly happy."

"What about your parents?" I asked cautiously, still not knowing the story about what happened, and whether or not it was an uncomfortable subject.

"I don't want to think about them right now."

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling horrified that I might have upset her.

She kissed my hand again. "It's okay, really. We can talk about them tomorrow if you want, just..." She yawned and pulled my arms tight around her. "Not right now."

I felt such empathy towards her. Hearing of her loneliness, and imagining what was behind it, hurt my heart, as if I had felt it firsthand. I made another silent vow to myself, that I would never let her feel alone. In making that vow, I knew, as surely as I knew that gravity pulls down, or that fire was hot, that I would be there for her forever. I would happily devote my entire life to her, with zero regrets. It was simply the way it was. I kissed her bare shoulder and nuzzled my face into her hair.

We were both silent after that, and very soon, I could tell that she had drifted off to sleep. I closed my eyes and listened to her slow steady breath until it lulled me to sleep.

Chapter Two

I awoke alone in Melissa's bed. I checked my watch, it was just after nine in the morning. I had arrived at about nine last night, and we were both asleep not all that long after that. I couldn't remember the last time I had slept for that long. It felt good. As I stretched, I discovered a note on the pillow next to me.

It read:

"I wanted to ravish you this morning, but you were sleeping so soundly, I couldn't bring myself to wake you up. I went for a run, be back soon. Love, Melissa."

I was sure that, given the choice, I would always happily sacrifice some sleep to be ravished by Melissa. I smiled to myself. We'll just have to make up for it later.

I found my underwear in a corner, pulled them on, and headed to the bathroom to take a leak. I retrieved my bag from where I had dropped it last night, carefully tucked Melissa's note away, and dug out my toiletries pouch. I had brushed my teeth and was rinsing with some mouthwash when I heard a key turn the lock on the front door.

Melissa pushed the door closed, and smiled when she saw me walking out of the hallway. She kept it very warm in her apartment, so I had been fine to stay in just my boxer briefs. She eyed me up and down as I approached.

She moved quickly into my open arms, and we kissed briefly.

"Good morning, sleepy head."

"Good morning, beautiful," I replied, giving her another quick kiss.

Despite the below-freezing temperature outside, she was hot and sweaty from her exercise. She took off her windbreaker and pulled her sweatshirt over her head. She was wearing a black sports bra, that I thought looked very sexy on her athletic figure.

"I need a shower." She said.

Her exposed skin glistened with sweat. On impulse, I leaned in and licked her, from the middle of her chest, all the way up the side of her neck.

She giggled and squirmed a bit and halfheartedly said. "Ew, gross."

With my face still against her neck, I breathed in deep through my nose. "I love the way you smell." I licked the sweaty skin of her neck again. "I love the way you taste."

She pulled back slightly so she could see me, and the look on her face told me that I had just taken a huge stride in squashing one of her insecurities.

"Come shower with me," She said softly.

I followed as she led me by the hand to the bathroom. The tiny space felt cramped with two people in it, but I loved the enforced closeness with Melissa. As sensually as she could in the space, she stripped off the rest of her clothes, then tugged down on the waistband of my underwear, sending them to my ankles.

She kept her hands on my waist, and I put a hand to her face, kissing her sweetly.

She bit the corner of her lower lip, in a pensive expression. "Will you..." She asked slowly. "Let me shave you?"

I brushed a hand across my face. What facial hair I was able to grow was fine, blonde, and didn't grow very fast. My face still felt smooth from when I had shaved the previous morning.

With a nervous smile, Melissa pointedly glanced down, and I caught her meaning. I had never shaved down there before, and honestly, the thought had never occurred to me. Seeing the slightly hopeful expression on her face, I was open to the idea.

"Okay," I replied.

Her face lit up. "Really?"

I nodded with a reassuring smile. "Yeah."

She gave me a quick kiss and started rummaging in a box under the sink. She found what she was looking for, holding up a professional-looking electric trimmer.

"First step." She said, getting down on her knees in front of me. She plugged it in and adjusted the little lever that set the trim length. "Ready?"

I nodded, finding myself slightly amazed that I felt no fear or hesitation in what she was about to do.

She turned on the clippers, and it made a snapping noise, before buzzing loudly. With care, she began to trim above my cock, and big clumps of my curly blonde hair began falling to the tile floor. She patted the closed toilet lid, and I put a foot there, my legs spreading enough so she could get at the rest of me.

Carefully, she trimmed one side, then the other, gently holding my erect cock aside as she worked. Then she moved to my balls, holding them as she trimmed up from my perineum. I shivered involuntarily from the vibrations of the trimmer on my most sensitive and private areas. She looked up at me with a smile. I could tell that she was enjoying herself immensely.

"That feels good," I said, smiling down at her.

She finished with my balls, taking great care in pulling the skin smooth as she trimmed. Before shutting the trimmer off, she held the side of it flat against my perineum and balls. I made a low moan as the powerful vibrations made my whole groin tingle. I was disappointed when the trimmer clicked off. I could see by her satisfied smile that she had made a mental note of how I had responded to that. My cock twitched at the thought of what she would do with that information.

She blew hard and brushed her hands over me to get the loose bits of hair off. It felt significantly more drafty down there, and her hands felt cool on my nearly bare skin. The sensation of her hands on the short remnants of my pubic hair was very different, but not in a bad way. She stood and kissed me, then reached in and turned on the shower.

She held her hand under the water until it was hot, then stepped in, pulling me in behind her. She had the temperature set much higher than I usually like it, but I got used to it very quickly. I held her in my arms and we kissed passionately as the water cascaded over us. She reluctantly ended the kiss and handed me a bottle of shower gel. "Wash me." She demanded, with desire in her eyes.

I squirted gel into my hands, and knelt, deciding to start with her legs, knowing they must be sore from her run. I scrubbed with my hands, massaging her muscles from her feet to her thighs, first one leg, then the other. I loved the feel of her strong muscles and the firm contours they made. Her sighs of relief, when I devoted extra time to deeply massaging her calves and thighs, told me that I was right to start here.

Melissa tended to wear loose-fitting clothes, like baggy jeans or sweatpants. I understood why. Her legs weren't what would be called 'classically feminine', and so she felt insecure about how they looked. I thought they were glorious, particularly in the fact that her thighs didn't touch, leaving a one-inch gap that left nothing unseen. I added this to the list of her insecurities that I intended to squash.

I stood and kissed her briefly. Using more of the flowery scented gel, I washed her upper body, starting from her shoulders, and working my way down both arms. Again, I took my time, massaging her toned muscles, and getting more satisfied sighs for my efforts. I scrubbed her chest, getting a moan from her as I briefly swirled my soapy hands around her erect nipples. My hands moved across her flat belly, and though I couldn't see her six-pack, I could feel the definition of her muscles under her smooth skin.

In the days after our first weekend as lovers, I had thought about the disparity in physical form between us. I wasn't fat, or even chubby. However, I didn't regularly work out or exercise, apart from what I got while at work, so I wasn't in nearly as good of shape as Melissa was. I had been afraid that I would become intimidated by her. Massaging her muscles like this, and feeling her strength, I freely admit that she was stronger than myself. Instead of being intimidating, I found it to be incredibly sexy, and motivating. She was a goddess, and I worshiped her with all of my being. I felt a drive within me to better myself so that she could feel the same way about me.

I moved my hands to her groin, scrubbing her in a way that, while not overtly sexual, was incredibly sensuous. I slid a hand between her legs, cupping her butt from below, then ran my soapy finger through her crack. Feeling bold, and curious as to how she would react, I paid extra attention to her asshole, rubbing it briefly with the tip of my middle finger. I looked up at her when I did this. Her eyes were closed, and her smile got a little wider as she made a small indistinct sound of pleasure at the backdoor contact.

I rinsed my hands and got more gel. I moved in close, and she draped her arms around my shoulders as my cock nestled between her legs. I scrubbed her back, massaging as I moved slowly down from her shoulders to her butt. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squirted some into my palm.

"Don't wash all of my hair, just close to my scalp." She said, turning her back to me, and raising her chin.

I did my best and managed to keep the suds from dripping into her eyes. I massaged her scalp with my fingertips, which she seemed to particularly enjoy. After rinsing her hair, I used her conditioner, and under her direction, on only the hair below her shoulders.

I've got two older sisters, and plenty of female cousins, aunts, and nieces, so I knew that women have very specific routines that they follow with their hair. What instructions Melissa gave, I followed to the best of my ability. If I did it wrong, she didn't seem to care. When she turned to face me, her face had the same serene contentment that it had when she was asleep in my arms.

She kissed me and said. "That was amazing. I want to be washed like that every single day for the rest of my life."

"I want that too," I said.

A ghost of a plan began to form in my mind, and as she began to return the act, washing me with as much care as I had washed her, it grew. It was an inspiration that seemed so perfect, I knew that it had to be right. As she washed me, a portion of my mind thought about what I needed to do later that day.

Feeling her soapy hands on my body was heavenly, and surprising in its feeling of intimacy. I found myself sighing and groaning in pleasure as her hands relaxed all tension from my body.

As she scrubbed my hair with her shampoo, she giggled.

"What?" I asked, finding her giggling infectious.

"I just realized, you're going to smell just like me for the rest of the day."

"So I'm going to smell awesome? Sweet." I replied, leaning my head under the water as she rinsed my hair.

That done, she reached out beyond the shower curtain and came back with a small bottle of shave gel and a bright pink razor.

"You sure you're okay with this?" She asked.

"Yes," I said with a reassuring smile. I had told her in my tent two weeks ago, that she could do anything that she wanted to to me and that I would love it because it was her doing it. While that was still true, I did want to know what it was like to be hairless.

She had me sit on the little built-in bench in the shower, and spread my legs wide. She sat on the floor, close to me, and applied the shaving gel. My cock, having gone soft during the relaxing experience of having my body washed, returned to rock-hard status at her gentle touch.

She giggled. "That will make things easier." She picked up the razor and prepared herself to begin.

She took a deep breath, and I could tell that she was nervous.

"Hey," I said gently, and she looked up, meeting my eyes. "I trust you."

That seemed to be exactly what she needed to hear, and she began. She took her time, methodically shaving every bit of me. I will admit to feeling a small twinge of anxiety at feeling the blades of her pink razor moving across my most sensitive skin, but I really did trust her. I watched her steady hands as she worked, and felt a whole new kind of intimacy with Melissa. Feeling the trust I had for her, to overcome any fears I might have had and let her do this, was wonderful.

She finished, and we stood. She used her hands to assist in rinsing me off, and I was amazed at how smooth her touch felt on me. I explored my freshly shaved skin, feeling the smoothness for myself.

"What do you think?" She asked, a bit nervously.

"I like it," I answered truthfully. "It's so smooth."

She smiled, her relief plain to see.

"It looks bigger," I said.

It was her turn to attack one of my insecurities. I wasn't small, and by American standards, I was a little longer than average. But every single man on Earth is insecure to some degree about the size, shape, and appearance of his cock. Just, some more than others.

"It's the perfect size for me. I don't need it to be bigger."

She put her hands on me again, one around my cock, and the other cupping my balls, this time in a way that was decidedly more sexual. I put my arms around her and kissed her deeply as she continued to fondle me. I trailed a hand down her body and between her legs, teasing her with my fingers.

Breaking off our kiss, I said. "I need to be inside of you." Her eyes told me that the need was mutual.

She turned around, leaning against the shower wall. She arched her back, sticking her gorgeous ass out towards me, and giving it a little wiggle.

I guided my cock into her pussy, sliding in slowly. She let out a satisfied sigh, and pushed back into me, her desire for me to be fully inside her, as great as my own.

I had been hard for nearly the whole time since she had returned from her run, and the anticipation had built enough that I knew that I wouldn't last very long. So when I began to fuck her, I did it very slowly. Sometimes I would move as slowly as I could, taking thirty seconds or more to pull my cock out of her until I was almost fully out, before reversing direction and taking another thirty seconds to bottom out again. I loved watching the way her vagina stretched around me.

Though it was not as intense of an experience as when I pounded into her as fast and as hard as I could, like we did last night, she seemed to be enjoying it immensely. She seemed to like it the most when I entered her as slowly as possible, and when I did that again, I could tell that she was getting close to cumming. As I ever so slowly slid into her, she moaned with her impending climax, and I had to use my hands on her hips to keep her from slamming back into me. If she liked this technique enough to cum, I wanted to make her cum with just the one type of motion.

As my cock crept ever deeper, her breathing got heavier. When finally I bottomed out and pulled her tightly back onto me, she came. I smiled as her pussy gripped me tightly, and she shuddered uncontrollably. Still twitching from her orgasm, she pulled herself off of me, and spun around, kissing me intensely.

I pushed myself against her, and we bumped back into the shower wall. Melissa lifted a leg and wrapped it around my waist, holding me in close. I reached down and guided my cock into her again, and she moaned loudly. Freely losing myself to our shared passion, I began to thrust into her.

She had her arms over my shoulders, holding on tightly. Suddenly, she put her full weight down onto my shoulders, then took her other foot off the floor, wrapping it around me. I reached down and grabbed her ass, lifting her so she could get a better hold around my waist with her legs. With her legs around me, my hands under her ass, and her back against the wall, she was able to take her weight off my shoulders. She cradled my face in her hands and we stared into each other's eyes as I began to pound into her.

I didn't know if it was the angle of my entry or the novelty of the position, but she was almost immediately on the verge of cumming again. As it was last night, the feedback loop of our ecstasy was built with unstoppable quickness, and we both cried out as we came. She squeezed me tightly, almost painfully tightly, with her legs, as her pulsating pussy milked the cum out of me.

My legs were burning with the effort of holding her up, so I let her down onto her own slightly wobbly legs. She held on to me to keep herself steady and gazed into my eyes.

"How is it possible that we are so good at that?" She asked.

I smiled lovingly, feeling the same wonder.

"Seriously, every time is better than the last! If you make me cum any harder, I think I'm going to pass out!"

We laughed and kissed joyously. The water in the shower had gone lukewarm at some point during our lovemaking, but neither of us had noticed. We both gasped though, when it suddenly turned cold. I was ready to jump out of the shower, but Melissa had me stay, so we could clean off the remains of our sex. She reached between her legs, and I could tell that she was flexing her pelvic floor muscles as she pushed my seed out of her. She brought her cum covered hand up to her mouth, licking it clean.

I surprised her by kissing her, and tasting my cum inside her mouth, and felt her smile as we kissed. She had surprised me with that two weeks ago, and though I still found the idea of tasting my seed on my own slightly repulsive, tasting it inside Melissa's mouth was a completely different story. We kissed until it was gone, and she watched me with a smile as I knelt and washed her quickly with the cold water. Once she was clean, I ushered her out of the cold shower and rinsed myself off. When I stepped out of the shower, she greeted me by wrapping a towel around me. I grabbed a second towel off the rack and began drying her off.

The whole time, we smiled at each other, both almost giddy in our shared experience. It was by far the longest, and most enjoyable, shower of my life. From the washing to the shaving to the amazing sex, it almost seemed like a dream. Looking into Melissa's eyes, I could see that she felt what I felt at that moment. That, just as our sex gets better every time, with every experience we share, in every single moment we are together, our bond grows stronger.

When we were both dry, and Melissa had a towel wrapped around her hair, I hugged her.

"I love you more than I thought was possible," I whispered.

She didn't reply. She didn't need to reply. Her eyes said more than words ever could.

Chapter Three

We went to her bedroom, and I pulled a clean pair of underwear out of my backpack. I had them halfway on when I had to stop and watch Melissa. She was putting on her underwear, a very skimpy-looking thong. Its red fabric had a sheen to it, like silk or satin.

She saw me watching her, and took up a sexy pose, smiling at me demurely. "Like what you see?"

"Oh, yes," I said, walking over to her, and putting a hand on the front of the thong. Satin. I ran my fingers along the smooth string that went around from the front and gave her bare butt cheeks a firm squeeze with both hands. "I could take you again right now."

She giggled and rested her hands on my chest. "I could let you."

I was about to kiss her and was seriously intending to follow through on my statement when my stomach rumbled loudly.

"Oh, you poor boy, you're starving!" Melissa said.

"Yeah, I'm hungry too."

She turned, picking up a fuzzy bathrobe and putting it on. I made a disappointed sound when she closed it, tying the chord.

She grabbed my hand and led me out of the bedroom. "I meant to make you breakfast after my run, but we got... distracted."

I chuckled. "Darn."

She looked back at me and grinned. Entering the kitchen, as much as the tiny space could be called that, I noticed that she had indeed been intending to cook me breakfast. There was a carton of eggs and a frying pan set out next to the gas stove.

"I hope you like your eggs scrambled, because that's the only way how to cook them."

"I prefer them scrambled," I said honestly.

I smiled as I watched her turn on the stove, and put a pad of butter in the pan.

She looked over at me. "Go get dressed. Put on the black pants I asked you to bring. You brought black pants, right?"

I nodded, still smiling at her.

"What?" She asked with a little self-conscious chuckle.

I stepped in and gave her a sweet closed-lip kiss. "You're amazing," I said, then turned to go get dressed. I glanced back as she was opening the egg carton, with a huge smile on her face.

Returning to the kitchen fully dressed in a white tee shirt and black pants that honestly were a little tight on me, I saw that the eggs were almost ready. She dished out the contents of the pan onto two plates, handing me the one with the slightly larger share of eggs.

We sat on the couch, as she didn't have a table we could both sit at and ate hungrily. We had both worked up quite an appetite. When we had finished eating, Melissa leaned over the back of the couch, and set our empty plates on the island counter, then cuddled up against me.

"That hit the spot." She said with a sigh.

"There's been a lot of that recently."

Melissa giggled. "Yeah, there has, hasn't there?"

We sat in silence for quite a while, just enjoying being near each other.

Finally, Melissa sat up and said. "Come on, I'll show you our costumes."

I followed her back to her bedroom, and she started pulling things out of a big paper bag next to her dresser.

"This is yours." She said, handing me a blue police shirt and hat. "And the final touches, handcuffs, and a mustache." She handed me a pair of fuzzy pink novelty handcuffs and a fake mustache that looked like it was straight out of a seventies porn video.

I laughed. "That's awesome. So I'm the cop, are you my prisoner?"

"As much fun as that could be, no."

Then she took her costume out of the bag. It consisted of a small light brown halter top with all kinds of colorful beads sewn onto it, a matching skirt that looked very short, and a feathered headdress.

"We're the Village People?" I asked.

Melissa nodded with a slightly uncertain smile. "Do you like it?"

"I love it. What are Ashley and James going as?"

"Ashley is the cowboy, and James is the soldier." She held up the halter top for me to see. "Ashley made this."

The beadwork was pretty amazing. As I looked it over, I couldn't help but notice that Melissa still had an uncertain look on her face.

"Do you... not like it?" I asked.

"It's beautiful! It's just- Well, I should put it on and show you." She put a hand over my eyes. "Close your eyes, and when I tell you to open them, pretend that you aren't my lover, and I just showed up to the party. Okay?"

I nodded and closed my eyes. Naturally, thoughts of what Melissa was going to look like in the outfit began to bubble in my imagination. Then the truth of it dawned on me. Apart from when I arrived at the cabin two weeks ago and she greeted me in a dress, which I was now certain that she had worn for the sole purpose of enticing me and me alone, I have never seen her wear anything in public that wasn't baggy or loose-fitting, and not anything nearly as revealing as I imagined this costume was going to be. I knew that I had to be very careful in how I reacted.

"Remember, you don't know me." Melissa reminded me. Her voice sounded like she was at the other end of the room. "Okay. Open your eyes."

I did and said the first thing that came to my mind. "Wow." I looked her up and down. The halter top was cut fairly low, giving a glimpse of the inner curves of her breasts. It covered her chest down to just above her navel, leaving a lot of skin on her belly, sides, and back, bare. The skirt was very short, barely covering more of her legs than my boxer briefs covered mine. The waistline sat low, leaving more skin exposed. Her long muscular legs and her toned arms were also completely bare. As much as I was struck by how stunningly sexy she looked, I could see how anxious she was about the prospect of revealing so much skin.

While keeping my eyes on her, I turned my head like I was talking to someone next to me. "Who is that?" Turning my head to the other side I answered my question. "That's Melissa." Back to the other side. "Wow, she is gorgeous."

My antics made Melissa giggle.

"Who is she here with?" "I don't know him. Must be from out of town." "Lucky bastard."

Melissa laughed, and I stepped across the small room to her, happy to have at least temporarily eased her tension.

When she spoke, her smile was still strained. "It's not too much, I mean, not enough, is it?" She asked, tugging down slightly on the hem of the skirt.

"It's more than a bikini."

"I don't own a bikini." She said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "It's not- I mean- I-" She was struggling to get the right words out for what she wanted to say.

I sat on the bed next to her.

"It's not too... slutty, is it?" She asked, staring at the floor.

Gently, I put a hand on her cheek and turned her head towards me. "No. The costume isn't what makes some girls seem slutty, it's how they act while wearing the costume, and that's just not who you are."

"I don't know how other girls can do it. They all seem so comfortable in their skin. I've never been, except with you."

"Melissa, you are beautiful. There's no shame in letting people see that." I said, keeping my hand on her cheek, and maintaining eye contact.

She stretched her legs out in front of her, her flexed muscles clearly defined. "I look like I could have been Brigitte Nielsen's stunt double in Red Sonja."

I laughed. "You say that like it's a bad thing. She was a goddess."

This got a smile from her. "I think you're biased."

"Yes, I am. But that doesn't mean I'm wrong." She still didn't seem convinced. "You should be proud of your body. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Do you like wearing it?"

"Yes." She said softly, then added. "It feels really good."

"You look amazing."

"Everybody is going to be staring at me all night. I don't know if I can take that."

She was probably right about everybody staring at her. Every guy there is going to want her and be jealous of me. Every girl is going to know that she is more beautiful than they are and be jealous of her.

"It's Halloween, so pretend to be someone else. Be a girl who doesn't give a fuck about what other people think about her because she's confident in who she is. Be a girl that loves the attention, because she knows that every look is a compliment about her stunning beauty."

I wasn't sure if I was saying the right things or not. She still didn't look very confident, but I could tell that she understood my intent.

"I'll try." She gave me a quick kiss.

"Maybe you'll find out that you like the attention, and won't have to pretend anymore."

"Maybe." She smiled shyly. "I think I have to wear different panties though. I wanted to wear the red one for you but..."

She stood and faced away from me, and I looked with admiration at the backs of her long, sexy legs. Then she bent over at the waist, and the short length of the skirt was pulled up, leaving nearly her entire bare ass exposed. I could see the thin satin strap of her thong running between her butt cheeks. I stood and put my hands on her butt, squeezing it. She stood upright, but I kept her from turning around. I pressed myself against her, arms around her waist, pulling her butt against the bulge in my pants.

"Keep the red one on," I whispered into her ear.

"It's not too much? I feel like I'm going to be showing my bare ass to everybody."

"Maybe... just don't bend over like that when anyone other than me can see it."

Melissa giggled cautiously. "Okay. But if I'm wearing this, then you can't stand behind me to hide that bulge the whole time. If people are going to see me, they're going to see you too."

I laughed. "Deal. I can guarantee that I'm going to be hard as a rock all night." Then having an idea, I pulled away, undid my pants, and reached down inside. Melissa watched me with an amused smile. I rearranged myself so that, instead of being tucked down under between my legs, my very erect cock sat pointing down along my left leg. I fastened my pants, and with how tight they fit, the outline of my cock was clearly visible.

"That's fair." Then she said mischievously. "Maybe next year you can be the cowboy, and I'll have you wear assless chaps. That's it, just assless chaps."

We both laughed, and I pulled her into my arms, hugging her warmly. "I love you."

"I love you." She replied.

"If it gets too uncomfortable, we'll leave," I said softly. "It doesn't matter what we do, as long as we are together."

I felt her nod in agreement. After a pause, she said. "Speaking of what to do, the party doesn't start for, like, six hours."

"How about renting a movie, and just relaxing?"

"Okay." She said, chuckling. "But I am not wearing this to the video store."

We wondered the isles of the Blockbuster down the street from Melissa's apartment, indecisive on what we wanted to watch. We had both changed into comfortable jeans, but Melissa still wore the beaded halter top, albeit underneath a long padded wool coat. None of the new releases had sparked much interest, and we eventually found our way to the 'sci-fi and fantasy' section.

After a few minutes, a title caught my eye. I grabbed the box off the shelf and handed it to Melissa.

"Nice." She said, grinning.

Ten minutes later, the opening credits began, and as Arnold Schwarzenegger rode across a mountain valley to an Ennio Morricone score, we cuddled together on Melissa's couch to watch Red Sonja.

We barely spoke during the movie, both content with being close to each other and enjoying the show. At one point, as I watched her rapt attention to a sword fight, I felt a familiar feeling of awe. Melissa was my perfect woman. There wasn't a single thing about her that I would change. Well, her insecurities and self-confidence aside, but I'm working on those.

The final scene played out, and the end credits rolled to more of Morricone's beautiful score. Melissa turned in my arms, facing me.

"I love that movie." She gave me a sweet kiss on the lips. "And you're right, Brigitte Nielsen is a goddess."

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked suggestively.

Melissa's eyes blazed with fiery passion. "What do you think I want to do?"

Recalling the dialog from the final scene of the movie, I said in my best Arnold voice. "I make it a rule, never to take a woman unless she can beat me in a fair fight."

Melissa grinned and continued with Brigitte Nielsen's line. "That's a challenge I might think about someday."

"What about right now?"

"Why not?"

When Melissa said the last line of the movie, I grabbed her by the shoulders and wrestled her onto her back. In response, she twisted around and, surprising me with her strength, flipped our positions. She straddled me, pinning me face up on the couch. I have to say, after watching that particular movie, this roughhousing was hot. I could tell that Melissa thought so too.

She leaned down and we kissed deeply.

I looked into her blazing blue eyes. "My warrior queen will have what she demands."

"Get naked. Now." She said gently, but in a tone that made it sound like a command.

She inched forward, straddling higher up my chest, and giving me room to get my pants off. As I struggled to accomplish that as quickly as I could, I watched as she seductively removed her halter top. Pants and underwear off, I reached up and grasped her breasts, rubbing her nipples with my thumbs. She closed her eyes and moaned quietly.

Melissa slid back to straddling my hips, and tugged at my shirt, helping me get it off without having to fully sit up. Then she leaned way back between my legs, lifting her legs into the air and towards her chest as she laid her back on the couch. I got a marvelous view as she pulled her pants off, taking the red thong with them.

She came back forward to straddle me again, and I began to sit up to meet her, but she put her hands on my chest, gently pushing me back down. She leaned over me, kissing me briefly on the lips, then sensually made a trail of kisses down my neck, chest, and belly. She knelt between my legs, spreading them apart.

I sighed as she moved her hands up my inner thighs and caressed the freshly shaved skin around my balls. She brought her face close to my cock, and looked up at me, meeting my eyes. She pursed her lips, blew softly on my bare genitals, and smiled as I shivered. Maintaining eye contact, she grasped my cock, and lowered her mouth upon it.

I gasped in pleasure as she took me in. I could see in her eyes that my reaction fueled her desire to pleasure me. I couldn't have looked away if I wanted to. There was a fierceness in her eyes that I found to be absolutely captivating. She sucked hungrily and worked her tongue on me, seemingly intent on making me cum as fast as she could.

My body complied, and I was very near to cumming much quicker than I wanted. Melissa redoubled her efforts, massaging my balls as she sucked harder. Her eyes seemed to scream "Cum for me! Cum for your warrior queen!" My hips bucked as I came suddenly, and I felt her hum in satisfaction as I filled her mouth with my seed.

Melissa milked my cock for the last few drops of my cum, still holding my eyes with hers. She took me out of her mouth, and I saw her swallow. She leaned down over me with a satisfied smile.

"That one was all mine." She purred, before kissing me.

I was still amazed at how quickly she had made me cum, and held her tight as we kissed.

She still had this new fierceness in her eyes when she pulled away slightly. "Now it's my turn."

She moved up, straddling my face. As she lowered herself onto my awaiting mouth, she rested her chest over the couch's armrest.

Melissa moaned loudly as I closed my mouth over her and my tongue began to explore. I loved the taste of her and loved how her body responded to my attention. She pressed herself down onto me, and I had to push up against her with my hands to keep her from smothering me. My hands pushed against her where the backs of her thighs met her butt, just on either side of her pussy. Her moans got louder when I pushed my hands to the sides, spreading her pussy open. My tongue attacked her with renewed vigor, and her body complied with my urgent desire to make her cum as quickly as she had made me. Her juices gushed into my mouth, and I swallowed greedily.

"Yes!" She exclaimed as she tensed, right on the edge of climax.

I pressed my tongue broadly over her clit, and with quick circular motions, pushed her over the edge. As she tensed and spasmed uncontrollably, I left her overly sensitive clit alone and eased down the intensity with which I ate her.

She pulled herself off of me, and moved back down into my arms, straddling my waist once again. Our mouths met, and we kissed deeply, with Melissa still twitching occasionally.

We stopped to catch our breath and Melissa said. "Tasting myself on you is hot."

I nodded in agreement and licked a bit of saliva off of her lips. She smiled and licked my chin, which was still soaking wet from eating her.

"Did I satisfy my warrior queen to her liking?" I asked, deciding to continue our Red Sonjia-inspired role play.

"Oh yes," She replied with a feral grin. "You did very well. But you should know by now, that I always need more."

Our eyes locked, and she reached down, finding my cock. She raised her hips slightly and lowered herself down onto me. I groaned in pleasure as I felt her silky warmth envelop me. She kissed me briefly, then sat up. She smiled down at me and wiggled her hips. When I tried to sit up, she gently, but firmly pushed me back down flat.

Sensing that she wanted to be in total control, I put my hands behind my head. She gyrated her hips slowly, and I stared up at her, marveling at how unbelievably sexy she looked. She arched her back towards me, drawing me out of her, then sank onto me again as she transitioned to arching her back away from me. Like the rhythmic crashing of waves, her body undulated in a fluid motion that started with her shoulders and ended with her hips. Each sensual motion pulled me out of her, then brought me deeply back inside.

I watched in awe, as she writhed on top of me. "You are a goddess!" I managed to say between gasped breaths.

When she arched her back towards me, her flawless skin pulled tight, and I could see her abdominal muscles and the outline of her ribs. Her pale pink nipples were erect on her perfect breasts. She brought her hands to her breasts and squeezed them sensually as she continued to fuck me. I could see by the gleam in her eyes that she was enjoying giving me this show, maybe as much as I was enjoying watching her.

Even though I had cum, really just a few minutes before, I could feel that I wasn't going to last much longer. Melissa stopped her forward and back motion and leaned way back, supporting herself with her hands on the couch next to my knees. She began thrusting her hips forward and back, burying me deep inside her every time. She quickly increased her pace, bouncing her firm ass against my hips. Seeing my cock slide in and out of her, and watching the muscles of her thighs and belly flex as she drove herself onto me was too much to withstand, and I was seconds away from cumming.

Without the close full-body contact that we usually had, I wasn't sure how close to cumming she was, so I broke the unspoken rule of the session and brought my hands to her. I pressed my hands against her inner thighs, alongside her pussy. I rubbed her clit between my fingertips.

She must have been close because, with an exclamation of primal ecstasy, she came almost immediately from my touch. Her vagina clamped tightly around my cock, and I grunted loudly as I emptied my balls into her.

We both held still for a moment, breathing hard. She grabbed my hand, and I pulled her forward, sitting up to meet her. We wrapped our arms around each other and kissed hungrily. Melissa made needy moans as she ground her mouth against mine. We kissed for a long time, our need for each other seemingly inexhaustible.

Finally, we broke apart, gasping for breath. We caressed each other's faces as we stared into each other's eyes. The fierceness she had shown in our passion was still there, but it was tempered now after our mutual release. Watching that particular movie had awakened something inside her, something that I found unbelievably attractive. Once again, I found myself in a state of utter awe of this woman.

"You are amazing," I said, knowing that the words were inadequate to express my feelings.

Melissa smiled, then looked a little self-conscious. "I didn't go too far with being in control did I?"

I kissed her. "Not at all. I thought it was really hot."

She looked relieved and kissed me back. "It felt really good."

I could tell that it had felt really good for her to be in control. It must be liberating for her to have the desire to be in control, and be called amazing when she acted it out. Traditionally, men were in control, particularly in the bedroom. Society traditionally expected women to just follow the lead of their partner. It was one of those things that just was. Well, fuck tradition, we would do whatever felt right. This isn't the 1950's. Besides, we were already breaking one societal norm, being second cousins madly in love, what's one more? It felt good for her to take control, and honestly, she could have taken it much farther, and I would have still loved it.

"It did." I agreed. "I like this side of you."

"What side?" She asked, turning one direction, then the other playfully.

She asked the question playfully, yes, but I could see that she was anxious about what I was going to say. There was a part of her that was exceedingly fragile to criticism right now, having opened up and let go of an inhibition.

"The warrior queen," I responded in a gentle, but serious tone. "She's fierce and confident, and isn't afraid to take what she wants." Melissa didn't say anything, so I continued. "The world needs to see more of this part of you." Then hastily added. "Not in a sexual way, of course."

Melissa giggled and then kissed me. "You are all that I want." She flexed her pelvic floor muscles, and I felt her pussy squeeze my cock tightly.

I flexed my own, causing my cock to twitch inside of her. We smiled at each other.

"I am yours," I said, kissing her.

I laid back down, pulling her down on top of me. She sighed in contentment and rested her weight on my chest, nuzzling my neck. We stayed like that for a while, and I could tell that she was beginning to fall asleep. I shifted and urged her to sit up. I stood, and she took my offered hand, following me to her bedroom.

We cuddled up under the covers, and both quickly fell asleep.

Chapter Four

We woke refreshed from our nap and got dressed in our costumes. Soon we were in my pickup heading to the house where the party was being held. I glanced at Melissa as I drove, and she seemed to be unaware that I wasn't taking the most direct route. We were only a few minutes away from Melissa's apartment when I turned into the parking lot of the Duluth location of the big box home improvement store I worked for. Butterflies filled my stomach as I prepared myself to set into motion the plan I had devised in the shower earlier that day.

"I've got to go in here for a few minutes," I said, parking my truck, but leaving it running.

"Ok, I'll be here," Melissa replied with a smile.

I smiled back at her, leaned over to give her a quick kiss, and got out of the truck. I walked into the store with purpose.

I got back twenty minutes later. Sitting behind the wheel, I looked over at Melissa with a huge grin on my face.

She gave me a slightly confused look. "What did you need to get here?"

"I have a surprise for you," I said, still unable to stop from smiling.

"What is it?" Melissa asked.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. What I had just done, marked a turning point, one of those moments in your life where your life will never be the same again.

"I just spoke with the yard manager, then with the store manager, and... as of two weeks from right now, I'll be working out of this store."

It took a moment for Melissa to process what I said, her mouth fell open and her eyes began to glisten with the promise of tears. I nodded in silent confirmation, and she threw herself across the bench seat into my arms.

We hugged tightly and kissed. I felt her joyful tears against my face.

"Of course, this all depends on if you're okay with having a roommate..."

Melissa laughed, her happiness nearly overwhelming her. "Am I okay? Charles, this is a dream come true!"

We kissed again, then rested our foreheads together as we gazed into each other's eyes. Nothing on earth could have taken the smiles off our faces.

We glanced over as an old grey-haired couple walked past my truck. They watched us as they passed, smiling at our display of joy and affection. The man put his arm around the woman, pulling her close as they walked and they smiled lovingly at each other.

Melissa and I returned our gazes to each other, and we knew that we were both thinking the same thing. That was going to be us someday. A lifetime of love and experiences awaited us, and neither of us could imagine any other way we would want to spend our lives than with each other.

On the drive to the party, Melissa sat in the middle of my truck's bench seat, and in between gear shifts, I rested my hand on her inner thigh. I would glance in her direction now and then as I drove, but Melissa never took her eyes off of me. The way she was looking at me made my heart glow. I loved her so much, and knowing that my love was returned, every bit of it and more, was was almost enough to make a guy weep with joy.

I parked on the street up the block from the party. I shut the truck off and turned to face Melissa. She wrapped her arms around me and we kissed deeply.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you," I whispered back. I put a hand to her face and she leaned into my palm as I caressed her cheek. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. "As much as I need to be making love to you in our bed right now, I want to do this."

Our bed, she had said. I liked that. Melissa smiled at me, knowing that I had picked up on her deliberate word usage. I helped her out of the truck, making sure nobody saw more of her than was appropriate, even though she was still wearing her long coat that covered her down past her knees.

We walked up to the house and rang the bell. As we waited, side by side, hand in hand, I said. "I'll be right here next to you the whole time, my warrior queen."

She smiled lovingly at me, and I saw any faint trace of self-doubt leave her. She took a deep breath and stood a little straighter, chin raised.

The door opened and we were greeted by Ashley's older sister, Debbie, who was hosting the party.

"Melissa! I'm glad you could make it. I haven't seen you in forever."

Debbie was five years older than Ashley and had moved out of their parent's house four years ago. Her husband's name was Chris, and apparently, he was some kind of Dot Com hotshot. I believed it, as their house was huge, and they both had expensive German sports cars parked in their driveway.

Debbie took our coats, and we began to mingle, soon finding Ashley and James.

Ashley rushed over and gave Melissa a quick hug. "Wow, you look Amazing!"

I resisted the urge to laugh when I saw James give Melissa a good head-to-toe look, and then notice me watching him. Now, I can see how guys might get pissed off by other guys checking out their girlfriends, but I saw it differently. I took it as a compliment to Melissa's stunning beauty, an opinion I wholeheartedly agreed with.

Melissa made formal introductions, and I shook hands with Ashley and James in turn. When I shook James' hand, he met my eyes in what seemed like an apology for his wandering eyes. I did my best to subtly show that there was no harm done.

We mingled and ate from the lavish catered buffet that Debbie and Chris had provided. I was introduced to more people than I could ever remember. Everywhere we went, eyes followed. There were lustful eyes, admiring eyes, jealous eyes, and yes, when people noticed the obvious outline of my perpetually hard cock barely restrained by my pants, laughing eyes. I didn't care at all about any of our observers, or what they thought about us. My eyes, and my thoughts, were for Melissa alone.

I kept true to my word, never left her side all evening, and maintained nearly constant physical contact, be it an arm around her waist, a held hand, or a covert squeeze of a butt cheek. For her part, she seemed to particularly enjoy rubbing her butt against my groin right before we talked to somebody new, or were going to walk anywhere, and when my arm was around her, she had a hand in my back pocket.

Again, I didn't care that everyone there saw my arousal. I honestly believed that it would be more out of place to have such a gorgeous woman at my arm all night and not be constantly turned on.

Through it all, Melissa was amazing. She never showed the least bit of self-consciousness or anxiety. I knew she saw how everyone watched her, and as the night went on, I began to believe that she was genuinely enjoying the attention.

Our costumes were a hit, not just Melissa's, but the four of us as a group. Everyone cheered as Melissa and I, and Ashley and James, got up and danced when YMCA was played.

We each had a glass of the strongly spiked punch, but neither of us had the desire to get drunk. We seemed to be the exception though. As the party began to wind down, intoxicated couples could be found making out on couches and comfy chairs, with one pair doing a little more than make out under the billiards table.

Ashley was one of those who had way too much to drink, and we said our goodbyes as James helped her up the stairs to a guest room that Debbie and Chris had reserved for them.

Melissa's eyes met mine, and I saw her fierce need for me shining bright. As much as we both wanted to strip down and fuck like rabbits right then and there, we both agreed silently that we had reached the extent of our exhibitionism.

We said goodbye, thanked Debbie and Chris, who were quite intoxicated themselves, and left.

The night air was heavy in a way that hinted at impending snowfall, and the wind blew cold and humid off of Lake Superior. Melissa held her coat tightly around herself as we rushed to my truck. Once in the truck and moving, I used more RPMs than I usually did to get the engine up to temp a little faster. The air from the vents soon turned warm, and Melissa opened her coat.

She was sitting next to me again, with one leg on either side of the shifter. She had let her skirt ride up, and between gear shifts, I rested my hand between her legs, gently rubbing her with my fingertips through her satin thong. She had a hand on my crotch, and slowly stroked me through my pants.

The trip back was fairly short, only about ten miles. Halfway there I asked her. "Why does it seem like it's taking forever to get back to your apartment?"

"Our apartment." Melissa reminded me with a smile.

I glanced at her with a grin. I did like the sound of that.

"It's because neither of us can wait until this beautiful cock of yours is inside me." She gave my cock a squeeze to accentuate her words.

When we neared her- our apartment, she said in a casual tone that was betrayed by the lustful intensity with which she was looking at me. "When that door closes, you'll have about ten seconds to get naked before I start tearing these clothes off of you."

Turns out, she didn't even give me that long. As I bumped my back against the door to push it all the way closed, Melissa attacked my belt, getting it unbuckled with amazing quickness. Before I knew it, my pants were around my ankles and Melissa was on her knees taking me into her mouth.

I could do nothing but moan and lean against the door as she implemented every trick she had learned so far. My legs felt wobbly as she expertly brought all of the evening's pent-up sexual energy to the fore. I looked down and met the fierce eyes of my warrior queen.

In mere moments, she had brought me to the verge of orgasm. I was just seconds away from cumming, when she stopped, taking me out of her mouth. The sudden absence of sensation took my breath away.

Melissa looked up at me with a wicked grin. "Not yet." She said, giving the underside of my glans the slightest of licks.

I shivered at the contact. I was so close. She watched me intently, giving me another tiny lick now and then, keeping me right at the brink. I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. Almost involuntarily, I grasped the back of her head, pulling her mouth over me. She didn't resist and sucked with renewed vigor. Her eyes seemed to suggest that she had been waiting for me to make her continue, that she had wanted me to take what I wanted.

Melissa massaged my balls as I came. My legs nearly gave out, as I filled her mouth with my seed. Four, five, six strong spurts. It felt like the entire content of my balls was shooting into her.

Her eyes showed her joy at what she was able to do to me. She took me out of her mouth and ran her hands up my chest as she stood slowly. I reached out and grabbed her, quickly pulled her up the last bit, and locked my mouth with hers. She hadn't swallowed this time, and I could tell that I had indeed cum much more than usual.

We moaned softly as we kissed, sharing my hot cum back and forth. When finally it was gone, we broke to catch our breath.

Melissa looked at me with a sly smile. "If I am your warrior queen, then you are my king. A king is fierce and confident, and isn't afraid to take what he wants."

"I want you. All of you." I squeezed her ass, pulling her hips tightly against me.

She sighed with pleasure as my still-hard cock pressed against the satin of her thong.

I whispered into her ear. "I'm going to make you cum with my tongue. Then I'm going to make you cum on my fingers. I'm going to make you cum again, and again, and again, until you're a sweaty, sticky, twitching mess."

As I spoke, her breathing became heavier. She was practically panting in anticipation.

"After that, I'm going to bury my cock deep inside you, and make love to you, and not stop until I physically can't do it anymore. That is what I desire."

When our eyes met again, the look of love and passion I saw was so raw, so pure and powerful, that it burned itself into my memory. From that moment, whenever I thought about the way Melissa looked at me, I remembered that one look first and foremost.

"My king will have what he demands." She whispered.

I led her to our bed and carried through on my promise. How many times did I make her cum while eating her? Honestly, I lost track after the first few. One orgasm rolled into the next, and into the next, until she was indeed a sweaty, sticky, quivering mess. When I finally entered her, I paced myself, pumping hard into her at times, and slowing or even stopping inside her at others. I wanted to make it last as long as I could while making her cum as many times as possible.

We switched positions many times. When I would start to get tired, she would roll me onto my back and ride me until she came again, then we would switch positions, all without my cock ever leaving her hot and silky wetness. I ended up cumming inside her twice, and though we had continued to make love, I was not able to cum a third time.

We lay together on sweat-damp sheets, facing each other, limbs intertwined, and both utterly exhausted.

My lips were numb from kissing, and it seemed like every muscle in my entire body was sore from exertion.

Melissa giggled tiredly.

"What?" I asked, finding her adorable giggle as infectious as always.

"So that's what it takes to completely satisfy my sexual desire."

We both laughed, and she kissed me sweetly on the lips.

"I need to work on my cardio."

Melissa giggled again. "It'll get easier, you just need to keep at it."

Giggling with her, I quipped. "Keep at it? I thought you were completely satisfied."

"For today, yes," Melissa responded, and we both laughed again.

We hugged each other tightly.

Melissa sighed and caressed my cheek. "Thank you." She said softly.

"For?" I asked.

"For giving me courage tonight. I really did enjoy wearing that costume. Not just for you, but for me. I don't think I could have done it without you."

I gave her a sweet kiss. "Even though you're more brave and amazing than you give yourself credit for, I will always be right here. Whatever we face, we'll face it together."

Her eyes glowed with her love. "I'll be here for you too. Forever."

"Forever," I repeated, and we kissed sweetly.

We both knew without a doubt that ours was a love that would last until the end of time. When we said "forever", we meant it. Neither of us had ever known anything so surely as we knew this. As thoughts of spending the rest of my life with this glorious woman passed through my mind, I drifted off to sleep in her loving arms.

Chapter Five.

We awoke in our bed, still in each other's arms. We stretched and embraced tightly.

"Good morning, my love," Melissa whispered.

"Good morning, wonderful," I responded with a kiss.

I knew that I wasn't alone in thinking that I could easily spend the whole day in bed, even if we did nothing but hold each other and rest, but nature was calling. We got out of bed, not bothering to put any clothes on, and headed to the bathroom. As she sat to pee, I turned on the shower, making sure it was set to Melissa's preferred temperature of just below scalding.

She stood, and it was my turn to relieve myself. It occurred to me that it was likely neither of us had ever seen anyone of the opposite sex use the toilet before. We watched each other, but it wasn't weird, gross, or embarrassing. I mean, after all of our intimate contact thus far, this was nothing. But it did remind me of how thoroughly and completely we were bonded to each other. There were no secrets between us, no need for shyness or reservations. In every aspect, we were one entity.

When I finished, Melissa pulled me into the shower. We washed each other, toweled off, and returned to our bedroom. Melissa went towards her dresser, obviously thinking that it was time to get dressed. I had other plans. I held her hand and stopped her near the bed.

"Lay face down," I said pointing to the bed.

She gave me her little smile, the one she kept just for me, and complied. I knelt over her feet and began massaging them. I massaged her legs thoroughly, enjoying her relaxed sighs. When I massaged her firm butt, I could see the moisture of her arousal seeping out of her. I bent over and kissed one of her perfect butt cheeks.

Melissa giggled. "Kiss my ass."

I chuckled and kissed the other cheek. I ran my fingers along the tops of her thighs, and she gasped quietly when I made contact with her wetness. While one hand rubbed her back at the base of her spine, I eased the thumb of the other into her. I slowly worked it in and out, brushing her clit with my index finger with every stroke.

Before she came, I eased off and stopped. I wiped my wet fingers on my cock, and shifted forward. She arched her back in eager anticipation. I entered her slowly until I was buried as deep as I could go. Melissa moaned with satisfaction.

I leaned down and planted a kiss between her shoulder blades. Whispering, I said. "I hope you don't mind if I just stay right there for a while. I'm not done with my massage yet."

She made only a happy moan in response.

As I began to slowly slide my cock in and out, I gripped her shoulders and began to knead her muscles. She made continuous sighs of relaxation as I worked my way down her back, all the while, keeping a steady, slow rhythm with my cock. When I reached the bottom of her spine, I pulled her waist towards me, getting that extra bit deeper with one slow thrust. Melissa moaned softly, her face buried in the pillow.

My massaging hands worked their way back up to her shoulders, and I grasped them firmly, pulling myself deep into her once again. Melissa responded with another moan, slightly louder than the previous one.

Again and again, my hands moved up and down her back, with each particularly deep thrust garnering an ever louder moan. I loved how much Melissa was enjoying what I was doing, her pleasure and relaxation having reached a zen-like state, but eventually, I had to face the sad reality that my arms were getting tired!

I slid my hands around her waist, and down to the top of her hips, pulling myself deep inside her again, but this time I kept my hands there. I increased the speed of my thrusts, and with each one, I pulled her hips towards me. Faster and faster I pumped into her, and my balls were soon slapping wetly on the backs of her thighs. Melissa's moans became one continuous guttural exhalation, punctuated with every impact.

I came hard, and breathing heavily, collapsed onto her back. I nuzzled into the back of her neck, feeling her silky hair on my face and breathing in her scent. Melissa's scent, and make no mistake, everyone has a unique scent, was something that I knew I could never find the words to describe. It was delicate, sweet without being sickly, earthy without being dirty. It was her, it was her essence, that intangible quality that makes something what it is, and I loved it. I breathed her in and sighed, planting a soft kiss on the base of her neck.

"Mmmffp" Melissa said, her face still buried in the pillow.

She shifted and turned her head, and I moved to her side with one arm and a leg still draped over so we could look into each other's eyes.

"Wow. That was..." She sighed. "... Wonderful."

I smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did."

She squinted at me. "Are you sure I'm not dreaming, and you're just a figment of my imagination?" She said playfully, though I could tell there was something serious behind the question.

"I'm real, and I'm right here, in your bed, and I love you."

She searched my eyes for a moment, rolled onto her side, and pulled me in close, kissing me deeply.

When we stopped kissing to catch our breath, she whispered. "It's our bed, and I love you too."

We held each other in silence for a long while. I knew that she had something else to say, but I didn't push her. Eventually, she broke the silence.

"Do you want pancakes? I want pancakes."

Not exactly the soul-baring statement I was expecting, but now that she had said it, by damn I wanted pancakes.

"I'll help." I had made pancakes exactly once before, and it wasn't a complete disaster, so I felt that my inclusion in the process wouldn't be too much of a hindrance.

She got a distant look in her eye, then rolled onto her back, and covered her face with her hands with a groan. "I don't have any pancake mix."

She peeked at me through her fingers and we both started laughing. I'm not sure why but we both found it hilarious but we roared with laughter.

I playfully pushed her towards the side of the bed. "Well, get dressed. I'll take you out for breakfast."

Still laughing, she got up and opened a dresser drawer. Stepping into a pair of light blue panties, she asked. "Are you getting dressed too, or are you going to go like that?"

"I'm thinking about it." I quipped, eyes following her every movement.

I loved watching her move. She had a litheness and grace to her. Cat-like? No, that's not quite right. Amazonian? Maybe, but that implies a stature and bulk that Melissa didn't have. She was fit, not body builder muscular, and she wasn't particularly tall, just shy of my own five foot ten. She was perfect, and my eyes couldn't get enough of her. Let's leave it at that.

"You'll give the old ladies at Perkins quite a shock." She shot back, still laughing.

With an exaggerated sigh, I rolled off the bed. "For the sake of the old ladies, fine, I'll get dressed."

Chapter Six

The plate clinked as Melissa set down her fork. "Ugh. I ate too much, but that really hit the spot."

She had attacked her "tremendous twelve" meal with murderous intent. All that remained was a scrap of crust from a piece of toast, and some maple syrup residue on an otherwise clean plate. She had even swiped a strip of bacon off of my plate, an act that left fork marks on my brother's hands on several occasions.

I looked at my plate, with its pile of hash browns and a third of a stack of pancakes remaining, and set down my fork. "I guess I didn't work up as much of an appetite as you, cause I'm stuffed too."

Melissa looked at me with her special smile and mischievous eyes. "Well, you'll have to try harder next time."

"I need to work out more."

"I can help with that." She replied, and we both giggled, knowing the truth of it.

"Let's start with a walk."

We left the Perkins restaurant, and with Melissa navigating, we drove north out of Duluth on Hwy 61. We pulled off and parked where a little river crossed under the road and spilled through a steep set of rocky rapids to Lake Superior below. We hiked down a little trail, and she led me out onto one of the big rocks. The scenery was spectacular, and the water rushing past the rocks had a hypnotic quality. It hadn't snowed last night, but the wind was blowing hard off the lake, and the constant mist from the rapids gave the crisp early November air some real bite.

We sat for a while without speaking. Just two people holding hands, taking in the scenery and the roar of the water. There was a Gordon Lightfoot song that had something about the gales of November, how did it go?

"When I left home," Melissa began, just loud enough to hear.

I turned and watched her, careful to hear what she was saying over the noise of the rapids. I had been hoping for, and dreading this moment, when she decided to get the details of her past out in the open. I resolved to not interrupt and to let her tell it at her own pace.

"This was the first place I went." She continued. "I didn't know where to go. I didn't have anywhere to go."

She sniffed. We were alone but had someone been watching, her running nose and the tears on her cheek might have been assumed to have been caused by the cold, but I knew differently. I could see the deep down hurt that was welling up, and my heart ached. I squeezed her hand, and let her talk.

"Every night for two weeks, I'd leave school, then go up the hill to the mall and sit in the food court to do my homework. When the mall closed, I came here, and parked for the night right over there." She pointed up to the little parking lot where my truck was. "I'd wake up, scrape the snow and frost off the windows, and go to school. I didn't tell anyone because then I'd have to explain why I was sleeping in a car in February. I had friends, but not close friends, you know? Like, not the kind of friends that I could talk to about..." She trailed off and wiped her nose on her jacket sleeve.

"I had been lucky, it hadn't been as cold as it should have been, but then one night it got very cold. When I left the mall, I knew if I spent the night here again, I could be in serious danger. So I went to the laundromat. There was never anyone in there in the middle of the night, so I sat at one of the tables and fell asleep. The owner woke me up a couple of hours later, yelling at me that I couldn't sleep there, so I got in my car and came back here."

She had been looking at the water as she spoke, but now turned and looked at me. I saw the fear and shame these memories invoked. I wanted to say something, anything to comfort her, but I knew that I should let her say what she needed to say, so I let her continue.

"When I went to sleep on the back seat, I didn't think I was going to ever wake up, and I was okay with that. I didn't care that I was going to die. Nobody cared, nobody would miss me. The world would be better off without one more stupid girl. Why bother going on?" She looked away from me, east towards the vast lake, and her face twisted up in anger. "You know, the worst thing, the worst part of all of it, is they made me feel like it was all my fault. They had me so twisted up, that I believed that I was the cause of everything that happened."

She turned back to me, the anger fading, leaving just a profound sadness. I wiped the tears from her cheek, and she leaned her shoulder against me.

"Did your parents tell you what happened?"

My throat was dry, and I swallowed hard before replying. "They were vague."

She gave a little smile that was like a sunbeam on a stormy day. "I asked your mom and dad not to tell anyone. You're so lucky to have them."

She looked back to the lake and spoke quietly enough that if her face had not been right next to mine, I wouldn't have been able to hear her. "When I was fifteen, when I started looking more like a woman, and less like a little girl, my dad started abusing me. Mom, she was drunk more than she was sober. She knew, she had to know, and she didn't do anything."

As the River roared in its ceaseless path to Lake Superior, and the cold wind whistled and rattled through the leafless trees, Melissa spoke of abuse and divorce, lost jobs and social status, the failing of the system to help a girl who was too scared to ask for help and the blame that was assigned for all of it.

"So that night- I remember when the state trooper knocked on my window." She gave a brief mirthless huff. "I thought he was an angel, with the way his flashlight lit up the frost on the inside of the window. I thought I was dead, that it was all over. I felt relieved." She shook her head. "The next thing I remember was being in a hospital bed, wrapped in electric blankets, and seeing the sunrise through the window. That trooper was there. He had stayed with me, way past the end of his shift, just to make sure I was alright. Turns out, when they went to my parent's house to see what was going on, my dad was out of town, and my mom ended up getting arrested for assaulting an officer and having a bunch of heroin. That's why she went back to him. Not for me, but for the money to buy her drugs. The trooper persuaded me to reach out to my friends. He said that people can be capable of unexpected acts of kindness, and I decided to believe him. So I called Ashley. We had always gotten along pretty well, and her parents were always super nice to me. They let me stay with them, which was really awkward at first. I just couldn't believe that a family could be so, so perfect. It was like stepping into an old sitcom. Maybe there was a little trouble now and then, but everyone loved each other, and it all worked out in the end. It was surreal, but eventually, I started believing that it was how families should be. That it was right and good, and normal."

She looked me in the eyes then, and I saw her love burning through the hurt.

"I didn't think that I would ever have that. I thought that there was no way I could ever open up and let someone love me, to be me, to be normal. Who could want me? Then your parents invited me back to the cabin, and I grasped onto a foolish hope that maybe you could. Ever since it's just been- It just doesn't seem real. Charles, I know you love me, but I'm still so afraid."

I silenced her with a quick kiss on the lips. I held her cold, rosy cheeks in my hands and looked her in the eyes. "None of what happened was your fault. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be loved. I love you, I will always love you. Nothing in the past, present, or future will stop me from loving you until the end of time, and when we're both gone from this world, I'll find you in the next and keep loving you!"

Fresh tears streamed down her face, not tears of remembered pain, but tears of joyful love. She threw her arms around me and we held each other tight. Overhead, a hawk called, adding its little part to the scene of wind, water, and young lovers.

Chapter Seven

Getting in my truck and leaving Duluth that evening was the hardest thing I had ever done. The only thing that gave me the strength to leave was the knowledge that it was only temporary. Soon, very soon, I would never have to leave her again.

When I got home, Mom was at the kitchen table reading a newspaper. She greeted me with a smile. I had to be very careful with how I was going to handle this conversation. I didn't want to lie to my mom, but I also didn't want to tell her the whole truth.

"How was your weekend? I didn't get a call from the cops, so it couldn't have been too exciting."

"I was the cop! We went to a Halloween party dressed as the Village People."

"Fun!" Mom exclaimed, giving me a beaming smile.

"Yeah, and something else happened. Do you know how I can get my employee discount at any store? Well, we stopped at one of the stores in Duluth, and I ended up talking with the yard manager. They've been having trouble finding someone competent to drive a forklift, and if I transferred up there, they'd give me a raise and make me an assistant manager. He said I could start working up there in two weeks." All of these individual facts were technically true, but it still felt like lying.

"Good for you! It's great to have in-demand skills. That's a long way to drive though."

"Yeah, it would be like, five hours of driving every day."

"Did you look into getting an apartment up there?" Mom folded up the newspaper and gave me her undivided attention.

"After the school year starts, there's literally nothing cheap available."

"Where would you stay then?" She asked, looking concerned.

"Well, on the way home, I was thinking about who I know that lives up there. Rob lives in a dorm, so I couldn't get away with staying there long-term. But then I remembered that Melissa lives in Duluth, I could maybe call her and see if she wants a roommate." Okay, this last bit was a lie. I didn't feel good about it, but it had to be done.

"Our Melissa? Have you called her yet?"

"Not yet. I'm pretty sure I have her number in my phone."

"You should figure this out sooner rather than later." She looked at the clock. "It's not too late, give her a call now."

I made a show of finding Melissa's number as if I hadn't memorized it weeks ago. Melissa and I had rehearsed this moment. I had the volume on my phone turned way up, so my mom was sure to hear Melissa's side of the conversation too.

"Hello?" Melissa's angelic voice asked after three rings.

"Hi Melissa, it's Charles."

"Charles! It's good to hear from you! What's up?"

"Well, I'm going to be transferring up there for work, and I was wondering if you would mind having me as a roommate until I found a place of my own." Another necessary lie.

"Yeah, I guess that would be okay. You're not going to find anywhere else to stay until the end of the school year. Even then, I was lucky to get this place this spring."

"So, you're okay with me staying with you?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun. Like staying at the cabin, but I don't think my landlord would approve of campfires."

"I'll pay half the rent, and utilities, and everything."

"Naturally," Melissa said. "I was going to ask one of my friends if they wanted to move in. Only paying half the rent will make saving for school a lot easier."

"Cool. So, I guess I'll give you a call tomorrow, and we can figure out the details?"

"Yeah, okay."

"I'm talking with my mom right now, so I should probably let you go."

"HI MOM!" Melissa yelled.

"Hi, Melissa," Mom replied, loud enough to be sure that the phone picked it up.

"Talk to you tomorrow, bye!" Melissa said, much quieter this time.

"Bye." I had to be very careful not to reflexively say I love you.

I put my phone away and noticed that my mom was studying me with a funny little smile on her face. Then in the most casual tone, she asked. "So, does she love you as much as you love her?"

My heart nearly stopped. I couldn't respond.

"That was a lovely charade. Unnecessary, but lovely."

I couldn't speak. My brain frantically searched for words but found only shocked silence.

"Oh, honey." She began, in a soothing motherly voice. "You're my baby. Did you think I wouldn't know? It was plain to see at the cabin that you two are in love. You spent the weekend with her?"

I forced myself to reply. "Yes," I said, fearing that it was all over. I felt like crying.

"Good," Mom said simply.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Mom knew about me and Melissa, and she was... Happy for me? "So, you're not mad about us?"

"Oh, Charles. Love is so precious. It doesn't matter where you find it, but when you do, you hold on with both hands and never let go."

My tears came then, flowing hard as I released all my pent-up fears and anxiety. Mom held me as I cried on her shoulder. She gently rubbed my back like she used to do when I was a kid.

When my crying subsided, she held my shoulders at arm's length. "Now, tell me about her."

I did. In the conversation that followed, I was more honest and open about my feelings than I could remember being to anyone other than Melissa. I explained how we knew what each other was thinking or feeling, just by looking into each other's eyes. I told her how I wanted to improve myself, to be a better person for Melissa. And, looking back on it with a touch of horror, I did my best to explain the connection I felt with Melissa when we made love. Throughout it all, my mother was nothing but caring and understanding. After all the fear of this moment, it was surreal. It felt so good, so liberating to tell her how I felt about Melissa.

When I was done, I asked Mom. "Does Dad know?"

"Oh, I doubt he picked up on it."

"Are you going to tell him?"

Of all the people in the family, I was sure that Dad would be the least likely to accept. He had always been very traditional. Kind and gentle, but with a very strict moral compass.

"Of course. He's my husband. The way you feel about Melissa, I feel about him." She hugged me again. "Don't be ashamed. Love her with all your heart, and everything else will work itself out."

She kissed me on the cheek and told me that she loved me. I told her that I loved her too, and said goodnight.

I went to my bedroom, shut the door, and called Melissa.

"What's up?" She answered. "I didn't think I'd hear from you until tomorrow."

Deciding to just be direct about it, I said. "My mother has officially given us her blessing."

The line was silent as Melissa processed this. When she spoke, I could tell that she was crying.

"How did she find out?" She asked.

I recounted the whole conversation.

"See? I told you your mom was the best."

"She really is."

"So, what now?" She asked, with a bit of anxiety.

"She said that she had to tell everyone because it's better to have it out in the open than have to keep lying to the family. I agreed."

After a short pause, Melissa said. "Me too."

As it turns out, my family's reaction was both better than I had feared and worse than I had hoped. My parents had called a family meeting and all of my immediate family, and their spouses, showed up. There were those like my mom, and my brother Mark, who were supportive and genuinely happy for me. On the other end of things, there were people like my second older brother, Stephen, and his wife, who were disgusted and called me a pervert.

Most were somewhere in the middle, either not understanding and being polite about it, or just ambivalent to the whole issue.

Then there was my dad. He just sat there the whole time, with a frown on his face, and never spoke a word. I couldn't tell if he was ashamed, or angry, or what, and it tore me up inside. He had never in his life been shy about voicing his opinion. After my mom, he was who I needed acceptance from the most. I desperately wanted him to say something, anything, but he never did. His silence cut deeper than any insult or accusation ever could.

At the beginning, and with prompting from my mom, I had stood before everyone, confessing me and Melissa's love for each other, and that I was moving out to live with her in Duluth. After the initial shock and spectrum of reactions, I sat down and answered questions.

Now, not being able to bear my father's silence any longer, I stood again, interrupting several side conversations. I addressed the whole group, but my words were meant for my father more than anyone.

"Melissa and I truly love each other. Nothing you do or say can change it. Accept it, accept us, or don't. I don't care."

Dad didn't react, didn't even look me in the eyes.

I rushed to my room and locked the door. I curled up on my bed and cried, harder than I could remember ever crying before. The stress of the family meeting and my dad's non-reaction had utterly destroyed me. I held a pillow over my head to muffle the sounds of my uncontrollable sobs, and to hide my face from the world.

"What if they're right about you?" A part of my mind asked. "What if you're just a sicko. That's what they all think."

"No! I really do love her!" Another part of my mind answered.

"What kind of weirdo falls in love with his cousin? What kind of deviant fucks someone in his own family?"

"No! Our love is pure and perfect!"

"Yeah, perfect. The perfect fantasy of a clinically twisted pervert! You're just taking advantage of a poor broken girl."

"No..." I moaned aloud, holding my head in my hands.

Sometime after, someone knocked lightly on my bedroom door. I ignored it, lost as I was in terrible contradictory thoughts.

The knock came again, and I heard my mom's voice. "Charles, honey. Can I come in?"

I didn't respond, knowing that right then I couldn't bear to face anyone, even my mother.

"Oh, my baby." She said through the door. "All I want is for you to be happy. Follow your heart, everything will work out. I love you."

Her words quieted the thoughts whirling through my mind, and though my sobs faded, the tears continued to flow. I was exhausted, physically and emotionally.

I closed my eyes and imagined Melissa lying next to me. I thought about how if she were here, she would comfort me, and wipe the tears from my face. I could see her so clearly in my mind, see how her icy blue eyes would pour her inexhaustible love into me.

Soon, my tears stopped flowing, and I regained a sense of peace. I felt awful for doubting myself, for doubting Melissa, if even for a moment. Our love is right. It is pure and perfect. She made me complete, as I made her complete.

I drifted off to sleep, with a smile on my face, thinking about Melissa, and dreaming about the future.

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The story continues in Explorations 3.0