trying to remove her panties. I pulled him off of her and threw him across the room.
"Stephen? What the --" I punched him in the face. He staggered back, then touched his mouth as if he couldn't believe he was bleeding.
"Come on, Stephen. You had your chance with her; now it's time to share." I lost control. I tackled him and we crashed into his coffee table. I don't know how many times I hit him. He went unconscious, but I just kept beating him. In my mind, his face turned into my father's. I could have killed him. I thought I was going to, but I heard Ruthie pleading with me to stop.
I turned around and she was quivering in the corner, clutching her ripped blouse to her chest. I went over to pick her up and she jerked away from me. At first, she wouldn't let me touch her.
"Ruthie, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." I kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. She stared into my eyes for a moment as if she was trying to remember who I was. Finally, she put her arms around my neck and I carried her to my truck.
She fell asleep in my lap on the way to her house. When we got there, I picked her up and carried her to her bed. Tears burned my eyes as I thought of the things we had done in that very bed...and how much I still wanted to do those things.
I laid her in the bed and turned to leave. I had to get out of there as soon as possible. I didn't know if I could resist the burning desire I had for her.
"Stephen," she called softly, just as I reached to door to the hallway.
I let my head fall against the frame. "Yes?"
"Don't leave me alone. I can't be alone tonight."
I didn't respond. I couldn't.
"Stephen, please."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I tried to push every romantic or sexual thought out of my mind. Over and over I repeated the phrase, “She's my sister.”
"Okay," I said, when I felt like I had control.
I went over to the bed, covered her with the blanket and then sat down rigidly. She reached for me. "Hold me, Stephen."
I didn't want to, but how could I deny her comfort after what she'd been through tonight?
I inched closer, then lifted her and held her against my chest. Our breathing synced; our chests rose and fell in unison. We stayed like that for so long that I thought she'd fallen asleep. But I was wrong.
"I love you, Stephen," she said into my chest.
I didn't respond.
"And not like a sister loves her brother. I love you like a woman loves her man. I love you with the overwhelming, blinding passion of a thousand suns."
Why was she telling me this?
"Don't do this, Ruthie. Don't make this any harder than it already is. We can't be together."
"Why not?" She sat up and looked at me. "This isn't our fault. We didn't choose this. Why should we be punished for the mistakes of our parents?"
"Ruthie, we –"
"Make love to me, Stephen."
"What?" I jumped off the bed, needing to put as much distance as possible between us.
"If we do it once knowing the truth, it will get easier after that. Soon it won't matter at all. Because it doesn't. It doesn't matter."
She had a possessed look in her eyes as she stood up and followed me. Did she really believe what she was saying?
My body erupted in flames when she kissed me. It had been too long. She started ripping off my clothes and guided me toward the bed.
"Make love to me, Stephen. Please."
Maybe she was right. Maybe it didn't matter. No one else had to know.
"Oh, Ruthie. I love you. I love you. I love you," I said, trying to make up for the weeks I hadn't allowed myself to say it out loud.
We undressed each other feverishly. Soon were completely naked on the bed. Caressing. Rubbing. But then, as if on cue, we stopped and turned away from each other. Ruthie started crying. We couldn't do it. Not now that we knew the truth.
I grabbed what I could find of my clothes and went to sleep on the couch.
Chapter 21
Sometime before dawn I forced my eyelids open and saw Ruthie sitting at the end of the
"Stephen? What the --" I punched him in the face. He staggered back, then touched his mouth as if he couldn't believe he was bleeding.
"Come on, Stephen. You had your chance with her; now it's time to share." I lost control. I tackled him and we crashed into his coffee table. I don't know how many times I hit him. He went unconscious, but I just kept beating him. In my mind, his face turned into my father's. I could have killed him. I thought I was going to, but I heard Ruthie pleading with me to stop.
I turned around and she was quivering in the corner, clutching her ripped blouse to her chest. I went over to pick her up and she jerked away from me. At first, she wouldn't let me touch her.
"Ruthie, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." I kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. She stared into my eyes for a moment as if she was trying to remember who I was. Finally, she put her arms around my neck and I carried her to my truck.
She fell asleep in my lap on the way to her house. When we got there, I picked her up and carried her to her bed. Tears burned my eyes as I thought of the things we had done in that very bed...and how much I still wanted to do those things.
I laid her in the bed and turned to leave. I had to get out of there as soon as possible. I didn't know if I could resist the burning desire I had for her.
"Stephen," she called softly, just as I reached to door to the hallway.
I let my head fall against the frame. "Yes?"
"Don't leave me alone. I can't be alone tonight."
I didn't respond. I couldn't.
"Stephen, please."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I tried to push every romantic or sexual thought out of my mind. Over and over I repeated the phrase, “She's my sister.”
"Okay," I said, when I felt like I had control.
I went over to the bed, covered her with the blanket and then sat down rigidly. She reached for me. "Hold me, Stephen."
I didn't want to, but how could I deny her comfort after what she'd been through tonight?
I inched closer, then lifted her and held her against my chest. Our breathing synced; our chests rose and fell in unison. We stayed like that for so long that I thought she'd fallen asleep. But I was wrong.
"I love you, Stephen," she said into my chest.
I didn't respond.
"And not like a sister loves her brother. I love you like a woman loves her man. I love you with the overwhelming, blinding passion of a thousand suns."
Why was she telling me this?
"Don't do this, Ruthie. Don't make this any harder than it already is. We can't be together."
"Why not?" She sat up and looked at me. "This isn't our fault. We didn't choose this. Why should we be punished for the mistakes of our parents?"
"Ruthie, we –"
"Make love to me, Stephen."
"What?" I jumped off the bed, needing to put as much distance as possible between us.
"If we do it once knowing the truth, it will get easier after that. Soon it won't matter at all. Because it doesn't. It doesn't matter."
She had a possessed look in her eyes as she stood up and followed me. Did she really believe what she was saying?
My body erupted in flames when she kissed me. It had been too long. She started ripping off my clothes and guided me toward the bed.
"Make love to me, Stephen. Please."
Maybe she was right. Maybe it didn't matter. No one else had to know.
"Oh, Ruthie. I love you. I love you. I love you," I said, trying to make up for the weeks I hadn't allowed myself to say it out loud.
We undressed each other feverishly. Soon were completely naked on the bed. Caressing. Rubbing. But then, as if on cue, we stopped and turned away from each other. Ruthie started crying. We couldn't do it. Not now that we knew the truth.
I grabbed what I could find of my clothes and went to sleep on the couch.
Chapter 21
Sometime before dawn I forced my eyelids open and saw Ruthie sitting at the end of the
Similar Books
