The Crime of Protection

by Gloria Martin

  “There’s the culprit!” Erin suddenly said, pointing to a puppy that had just pooped on the sofa. She laughed then as the puppy wagged its tail and bounded down from the sofa. “Where did she come from?”

  He laughed too, watching the puppy as it bounced up and down and then started to lick her legs. “She was wandering around outside. Looks like somebody’s got a crush on you…” he teased.

  Erin giggled, crouching down to scratch the dog’s head and ruffle her golden hair. “You cute little thing!”

  There were several loud knocks on the door. The dog yelped and ran excitedly toward it.

  “Must be your master, little one,” Erin said as she opened the door. Meanwhile, Kale got some old newspapers to scoop and throw away the dog’s poop. He went on to scrub the area with soap and water.

  An old, kind-looking woman stood in the patio. “There you are,” she said as she carried the puppy in her arms. “I’m so sorry for the trouble. I don’t know how he got here.”

  “No problem,” Erin said. “I’m surprised someone else is actually in the area. Where are you staying?”

  “My cousin owns the property a few miles away, but we had a picnic in the meadows earlier before my puppy had gone off exploring on her own. We’ve been looking around for her for two hours!”

  “Well, it’s a good thing you found her here.”

  “Yes, thank you.” The old lady said goodbye and left.

  When Erin came back inside, Kale was already cooking dinner for the two of them. She saw the wet spot on the sofa, which still had a slightly distinct stench.

  Kale saw her looking. When she strolled into the kitchen, he said, “Looks like I’ll be sleeping with you tonight, after all…”

  Her heartbeat raced, despite her attempts to control it. The way he said it made her feel excited and nervous at the same time.

  *****

  Erin volunteered to do the dishes since Kale had cooked for them. After sharing a wonderful dinner, she found her thoughts drifting back to him. Although she tried her best to push them to the back of her mind, images of him just kept returning.

  She’d almost forgotten about washing up because of the puppy incident and the memorable time at dinner. To top it all off, the prospect of sleeping in one room was too distracting!

  When she finally finished cleaning up in the kitchen, she rushed to the bathroom inside her bedroom and quickly took off the robe she was wearing. She was eager to take a shower, freshen up, and go to bed- if she could actually fall asleep that night.

  She turned to the shower, ready to strip off her bikini. But when she pulled the curtain aside, she was shocked to find Kale inside.

  “Shit, sorry,” she quickly said, her heart pounding wildly. She felt her cheeks reddening, although he was still in his boxers and was not completely naked.

  He was actually just about to turn on the shower. He looked a bit flustered too, but she did not miss the way his eyes seemed to bulge at her exposed body. “No, I’m sorry. Something’s wrong with the shower in the other bathroom so I went here. I forgot to inform you…”

  “It’s okay, you go ahead,” Erin said. She was about to retreat when he made a move to step out of the shower.

  Somehow the air seemed to be electrified. She could feel her heart hammering against her chest as their bodies pressed against each other accidentally.

  She looked up then and met his penetrating gaze. It was probably a mistake, because the next thing she knew, their lips were on each other, kissing hungrily, passionately, madly.

  His hands stroked her cheeks gently, then moved toward her neck and shoulders, caressing her skin in the most sensual way she’d ever experienced. Her entire body felt like it was on fire as the sexual tension between them increased, enfolding both of them in intense desire.

  Her hands flew around his neck, just as his hands rubbed her bare back. She had no sense of right and wrong at that moment, nor was she able to make light of what was happening. All she could think and feel was the extreme passion that enfolded her entire being.

  He pulled her into the shower with him as their kiss deepened. Their tongues pushed into each other’s mouths, twisting and dancing with each other in an erotic fashion.

  She felt her ponytail loosen as they grew wilder. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her, kissing her neck, licking her chest, touching her entire body. She was literally burning with pleasure as her own fingers gripped the muscles on his shoulders and then on his back. Eventually, she found her hands exploring the little hairs on his chest, groping his abs, and then reaching downward.

  She accidentally leaned on the lever behind her, turning on the shower. But they didn’t stop the foreplay. Even under the cold water raining on them, their bodies remained aflame with heated passion. They could not get enough of each other.

  Her bikini top had a clasp at the back which he was quick to unfasten. She helped him then by pulling at the pieces of cloth tied around her neck. The top fell off, revealing her full breasts. In the process, the tie holding her ponytail fell to the ground, letting her soft black tresses cascade over her shoulders. They were drenched in a few seconds, along with their bodies.

  He pulled back, his eyes sweeping across her face, hair, neck, and down to her breasts. Without any hesitation, he bent down a little and started sucking on each pink nipple, letting his tongue massage the tips and lick the surrounding areas.

  Her fingers got tangled in his now messy hair as he fondled and kissed her breasts. He then grabbed one of her hands and pulled it down, positioning it on top of her soaked swimsuit bottom. He pulled down the panties for her and guided her fingers toward the mass of hair, which she willingly began stroking.

  Fingering herself while he devoured her breasts was so pleasurable that she found herself moaning repeatedly. She pushed two fingers through the folds of skin, welcoming the wetness and rubbing the outer and inner lips with great indulgence. Closing her eyes to relish the amazing pleasure, she felt his hand pressing on top of hers, urging her to move further inside. She followed his lead, shoving her fingers upward and moving them sensually to please herself.

  His lips left her breasts and trailed downward to her wetness as she was pleasuring herself. He watched her for a while, and then shoved his tongue inside to join her fingers. His hands gripped the cheeks of her butt and squeezed them, pushing her even closer to his mouth.

  She let out a scream as the immense pleasure engulfed her. He just kept licking, thrusting, and teasing with his tongue, until she could no longer take it. “Oh, please stop, stop, stop!” she begged. But he went on and on, making her climb higher into much greater carnal pleasure. She screamed louder, her whole body shuddering, as she reached her climax.

  At that instant, he removed his tongue, straightened up, and took off his boxers in one swift motion. Her eyes widened at the sight of his rock-hard cock, its entire length ready to give her even more pleasure. She was still trembling from her orgasm when he turned her around, bent her forward, and entered her from behind. His moans blended with hers as he rammed into her over and over again, alternating gentle and forceful.

  After a while, he pulled her up and leaned her against the tiled wall. Because he was strong and she was quite petite, he didn’t have a hard time lifting her legs up and wrapping them around him as her back was pressed on the wall. He pierced her once more, his full length expanding inside of her and filling her with unimaginable pleasure.

  He kept pushing, shoving… in and out, in and out… With every shove, he seemed to reach deeper and farther, making her roll up her eyes and completely lose all her thoughts. Her body was in charge, heating up with immeasurable passion, as she matched his peaking pleasure and finally burst into an explosion of erotic fireworks and electrifying waves of pleasure.

  They held each other even as their knees seemed to buckle beneath them. And when the desire faded, logic began to creep back slowly. “Shit, what did we just do?” Erin hissed in panic. “We’re supposed to be family
!”

  Kale looked at her, anguish evident in his eyes. “I care about you, Erin,” he said softly. “Perhaps it doesn’t make this right. But just for tonight, let’s not think about it. We’re not hurting anyone, anyway.”

  Erin was speechless and confused so she simply nodded.

  He took some soap and started spreading it across the surface of her body, his palms and fingers sliding on her supple skin. The sensation was so erotic that she found herself closing her eyes while her body warmed up again. Shoots of electricity seemed to rush in her bloodstream as he continued to rub her arms with soap, and as he massaged her breasts, stomach, and thighs.

  She moaned again, feeling her libido shooting up once more. But she let him bathe her and just savored the sensations, until she found herself coming to her peak again.

  Afterward, she returned the favor, caressing his entire body with soap, her fingers loving the feel of his strong muscles and well-chiseled torso and legs. She took her time washing off the soap before closing in on his most sensitive part. And when she finally wrapped her hand around his hardening cock, a groan escaped his lips. She gave him a hand job as they shared a wild French kiss. Her hand easily slid up and down his shaft, lubricated by the soap.

  In a short while, he came too, his mouth opening in amazing pleasure, which gave her a feeling of satisfaction and joy.

  *****

  It was like Pandora’s box had been opened for Erin and Kale. At the start, they tried to hold back, telling themselves that having any relationship more than mere friendship would not be right. Nonetheless, they always ended up making love at the end of the day.

  Soon they realized that their feelings for one another were not just sexual and were a lot more than physical attraction. As they spent more time together, they found themselves falling for each other.

  One afternoon, Courtney called Erin on her cellphone. “How are you, Erin?” she asked. “How’s that pesky, creepy stepbrother you’d told me about?”

  Because Kale was sitting right beside Erin on the couch, he could hear what her friend was saying. He pretended to narrow his eyes at her, which made her giggle.

  “Uh-oh, that’s not good,” Courtney suddenly said.

  “What?” Erin asked, giving Kale a warning look.

  “You almost never giggle… unless you’re falling for a guy.”

  Erin laughed nervously. “Don’t be silly, Courtney.”

  “This stepbrother… how old is he exactly?” Courtney asked curiously. “You never did tell me what he looks like.”

  “Uhm… he’s… really good-looking…” Erin admitted. “In a rugged type of way…”

  “Just like your ex,” Courtney declared.

  “He’s nothing like Arnold,” Erin protested.

  “Gotcha!” Courtney exclaimed. “Oh, my God. I think you’ve got it bad for your stepbrother!”

  Kale was giving her the thumbs up sign, which made her giggle again. Then to her horror, he began sucking on her exposed big toe, looking up at her with a seductive expression on his face.

  Erin felt her heartbeat quicken. All of a sudden, her body temperature was increasing and she could feel the heat pooling in between her legs. “I don’t have it bad, Courtney.”

  “You know, if you’re in love with this guy and he’s a better man than Arnold, then I’m all for it!” Courtney declared.

  Erin’s mouth dropped open. She squirmed on the sofa as Kale started kissing her exposed legs. She was wearing a short skirt. “Uh, thanks, Courtney…”

  “Doesn’t matter if he’s your stepbrother, Erin. You’re not related by blood, anyhow. So just be happy, alright?”

  “Thank you,” Erin whispered. She stifled her gasp as Kale’s mouth reached the upper, inner part of her thigh. “I have to go, Courtney.”

  Before her best friend could even say goodbye, she tapped on the End Call button and dropped the phone beside her. “You are bad, Kale!” she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him.

  He had lifted her skirt and was pulling down her panties with his teeth. He paused and grinned mischievously. “I know. That’s why I’m going to make you a bad, bad girl again, Erin.” With that, he undressed her and they had a round of electrifying sex on the couch.

  The next Saturday, they had just returned from boating on the lake when Erin recognized a red sedan parked on the road. Thrilled to see Chad’s car, she ran toward the house to meet her best friend and her husband of two years.

  Courtney looked like a city career woman modeling on the patio of the rustic lake house. But when she saw Erin rushing toward her, she lost all composure and screamed excitedly. They hugged each other and couldn’t catch up fast enough with their stories.

  “It’s been, what, a month already?” Courtney said.

  “Yeah, time flies so damn fast!” Erin answered. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you!”

  “What about me?” Chad teased.

  “You too, Chad!” Erin said with a grin, giving him a quick hug. She then ushered them inside and prepared snacks for them.

  When she came out of the kitchen again, she was surprised to find Kale actually chatting with Courtney already. Well, actually, she was doing most of the talking.

  They all sat down and had a great time talking about their summer escapades. Later, Courtney went to the kitchen with Erin to grab some coffee.

  “He’s so hot!” she hissed. “Imagine being alone with a gorgeous stepbrother like that! No wonder you weren’t able to resist him!”

  Erin laughed. “I tried. Believe me, I did.”

  Courtney laughed too. “Yeah, I believe you. If it had been me in your place and I was still single, then we probably would have had sex on that first day.”

  “Courtney!” Erin hissed.

  They ended up giggling together, knowing that she wasn’t joking.

  Erin had never felt happier after spending the morning with both her best friend and the new love of her life. They wanted to go boating but it started to drizzle so they ended up having early lunch. That afternoon, though, she and Courtney stayed indoors painting their nails while the men went fishing.

  “Thanks, Courtney. I needed this girly fix!” Erin said gratefully.

  “Of course,” Courtney said. “I think of everything! I wanted to bring a masseur along but Chad said no.” She suddenly pouted, which made Erin burst out laughing.

  As the men cooked the fish they had caught, the two ladies decided to have a little bit of an adventure. “I haven’t gone boating yet,” Courtney complained. “You have to take me.”

  “But it might rain again…” Erin said. “And I’m not that good yet in handling these boats.”

  “That’s okay,” Courtney said. “We won’t be long and we won’t go far. I just want to experience it before we leave.”

  Erin gave in and the two of them went into the lake, chatting some more. They had lost track of time and had begun to drift farther and farther from the wooden dock and boathouse. It would have been okay, if not for the thunder that suddenly roared from the sky.

  “Holy shit,” Courtney suddenly said. “Let’s go back!”

  Erin started paddling fast, headed back to the shore. But halfway there, the surroundings dimmed and the rain began to pour. Soon they started panicking as the water began to rise inside the boat.

  “We’re sinking!” Courtney exclaimed in fright. “Help!”

  Erin focused on paddling, though she too was on the verge of losing it. She tried to tell her friend to stay calm so as not to rock the boat, but Courtney was really freaking out.

  “Help us! Chad! Kale!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, twisting left and right. Her voice was simply carried by the wind and drowned out by the deafening rain.

  “Courtney, stop moving too much, please,” Erin said. “We’ll get there very soon.”

  They were actually nearing the dock when lightning struck and thunder boomed above them. Courtney screamed and panicked again, causing the boat to rock wildly and eventual
ly topple over.

  Erin was not a good swimmer. She found herself sinking fast below the surface of the water. She thrashed her arms and kicked her legs on instinct, but she had already swallowed plenty of water. The downpour was not helping, even when she found herself breaking through the surface.

  “Erin!” Courtney was yelling above the raucous rain.

  Erin could see her floating in the distance, but she did not have the energy or the know-how to swim. She felt cramps starting in her lower legs from kicking too hard repeatedly. She was growing tired.

  She felt herself eventually going under again. But then, a strong pair of arms lifted her up and dragged her all the way to the wooden dock. She was half-conscious yet exhausted, but could see Courtney being assisted by her husband Chad down the path.

  She was then carried over muscular shoulders and hauled back to the lake house.

  *****

  Because of the accident and the weather conditions that evening, Courtney and Chad ended up spending the night. It was a good thing the guest room was already ready for occupancy.

  “Rise and shine!” Erin heard her best friend’s sing-song voice in the hallway, followed by a series of knocks on her bedroom door. She opened one eye and groaned when she saw that she wasn’t dreaming. Courtney seemed to be in a good mood even after what had happened.

  “Come on, sleepyhead! We’re all up and about!” Courtney said in a cheerful tone. “I put the men in the kitchen again. After all, we’re the victims here.”

  “You don’t seem like you need any rest or recovery time…” Erin muttered sleepily.

  “Well, not really…” Courtney agreed. Then suddenly, her face and tone of voice turned serious. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you, Erin.”

  Erin felt the gravity in her voice, which made her sit up in bed and pay attention.

  “Chad told me last night that when the rain had begun pouring, Kale had still been preparing our dinner right beside him. But after a few minutes, he turned around and poof! Your dear stepbrother had vanished!”