20

Mike had his head in his hands. He felt lower than a slug. He had to say something, to explain somehow, to make it right.

"I'm sorry," they said in unison, each surprising the other.

"What?" she asked quietly. "Why are you sorry?"

He sighed deeply, obviously wracked with guilt about what had happened. "Last night, I just..." he began, but then fell silent. What the hell could he possibly say?

He lifted his head, determined to make this right between them. "Last night was the best night of sleep I ever had," he said, his voice full of sincerity. "Even with all the bruises and cuts, I wouldn't trade the memory of holding you all night for anything. I'd gladly do it again to have another night like that." He sighed, turning to look at her. "I didn't mean to ruin everything that happened last night, I didn't mean to..." He lowered his head again, "I didn't mean to get excited. Last night just felt too pure, too innocent and then I had to get erect and ruin...," She raised her hand to his lips.

"Mike, I don't know how to explain how it felt being next to you. I've hated you for so long, and never really wanted to get know you. After last night, though, it's like I've known you forever. Whenever I try to sleep and you aren't there, I have flashbacks. I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for you, so I don't care that you were erect. You didn't abuse anything last night. I kissed you," she said, lowering her head, a tear winding its way down her cheek. "I'm the one that should be sorry." She reached up and brushed the tear away.

"Whenever I kiss you, it feels like a charge of energy shoots through me. It's so exciting and it makes me feel so special, something no one else has ever done for me. I can't describe it, it's like everything else goes away when we kiss. I'm so ashamed," she said, another tear running down her cheek. "The one person that makes me feel like that is my brother, and I feel like I'm abusing our relationship when I kiss you." he raised his hand to her lips this time, quieting her

"Danni, I feel the electricity too. My body goes numb whenever you kiss me. I've never felt... whatever it is." He slid off the bed and onto his knees in front of her. He lifted her chin and ran a hand over her cheek, wiping away a tear. "I don't care how we are related, I'm not afraid of letting this happen. It feels wonderful." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, drawing a smile from her face. "Besides, we're only kissing. It's not like we're going shopping together or something intimate like that."

She giggled at this, and he smiled at the sound. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I certainly don't want to destroy any bridges we've built."

"Danni, all we've done together is sleep next to each other and kiss a little. It's understandable, considering all you've been through, that you're having mixed emotions." He sat back on his feet, placing his hands on her knees.

"I'll be here tonight, if you need me. The door will be unlocked, and it will stay that way until you decide you don't need someone to sleep next to you. I just wanna try and make it all better for you."

"When did you get to be so sweet?" she asked, smiling for the first time. "I used to hate you so much."

"I know, I have the scars to prove it," he said, smiling. She rolled her eyes briefly at him, scowling playfully. He leaned forward, softly touching the side of her face and leaned forward, gently kissing her again.

"I'm gonna go shower," he said, standing. "I need to see how fucked up I actually am."

"Ok," she said. She rose and started to leave his room, but then stopped at the doorway and turned, "I'll see you tonight then." She turned and went to her room, closing the door behind her.

The shower was a combination of pain and relaxation. Mike had slowly gotten undressed, not wanting to cause himself any other pain than was necessary. Bruises and ugly red scrapes dotted his ribcage and back. No wonder he was in pain, he looked like someone had colored a paint-by-number with a shotgun.

He stood in the shower for nearly an hour, letting the hot water course over his muscles and slowly ease the tension out of them, the events of the past couple of days coming back to him. It was only the day before yesterday that Emma had caught him masturbating, and had heard him call out Danni's name in the shower. She still hadn't said anything and he was beginning to wonder when that conversation would take place. It seemed so insignificant now, in light of all that had happened after it.

Sarah came into his mind. He'd never have thought that Sarah would be the sister that he'd start fooling around with. It just didn't seem like her, it wasn't in her normal routine. The thought of a sex filled normal routine for Sarah caused a chuckle and then a wince of pain as his ribs ached. Those assholes had really taken the boot to him. He was suddenly very glad that he'd been conciliatory to the guy working the door that night.

His thoughts drifted back to the second oldest sibling. So much had happened to her in so little time. He knew she was having a hard time. Normally, he suddenly realized, the voice would have chimed in with some lewd advice, but it had been strangely silent. Remembering that he'd just had three orgasms with an actual woman, he knew why. It always got quieter after he masturbated; the same would certainly be true when an actual woman did the deed.

Deciding he'd spent enough time in the shower, he grabbed his towel and pushed the faucet off, stepping out of the tub and rubbing the water off.

A knock at the door startled him briefly.

"Decent?" Emma called