Sorry for the long wait, I had initially lost inspiration to continue writing halfway through this chapter, but many people have written asking me to continue. So I would personally like to thank everyone who has shared their feedback. Your responses have spurred me to keep going.
As before, much thanks to GentWithHandcuffs for editing my work.
Chapter 4 -- My Cousin Valerie: The Next Morning
"How could you Ethan!" Val screamed.
I was sitting at the kitchen table so I stood up to face her. Tears were streaming down her face, a frown instead of her usual smile.
"How could you Ethan! You took advantage of me! Your own cousin!" Her words were like venom.
She slapped me across the face, my head whipped to the side. Then she came at me and began pounding on my chest with clenched fists. I was too stunned to stop her, I didn't want to stop her. Her face was a mess and she was crying. Crying because of me.
"Val, I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you, I love you!" I pleaded; my own tears began to roll down my cheeks.
"I thought I could trust you, I hate you Ethan!" she yelled, the muscles in her throat were straining. She slapped me again.
She shoved me back until I bounced off the wall, then stepped closer, and angrily shook me against it.
"Ethan! Ethan!!" Her angry words darkened my world.
Then they turned softer, she no longer sounded angry. "Ethan! Ethan?"
Suddenly my head hurt and my back felt stiff. I was sitting on the floor in Val's room, leaning up against the wall. She was crouched in front of me, her hand gently resting on my shoulder. I looked up at her face, terrified of the anger she felt for me. But when I saw her expression, there was no anger, no resentment. She looked worried, but there were no tears or hate in her eyes.
"Val?" I said weakly. "I'm sorry Val... I didn't mean to hurt you." I felt the tears well up again.
The concern on her face immediately changed, she smiled at me. That beautiful smile lit up my world, bathing the room in sunlight. She was like an angel, giving me renewed energy.
"What are you sorry for, dork? Well, you should be sorry for leaving me alone, in my bed, freezing naked!" She motioned to her nude body, but I was in no mood to ogle.
"Val, what happened last night...I took advantage of you. You were drunk and I..." my voice trailed off. The happy feeling in my heart began to drain away as I remembered what I had done. But the corner of Val's lips turned up and she rolled her eyes as she sat next to me.
"Ethan, you didn't take advantage of me. We were both drinking last night but I knew exactly what we were doing when I was with you. And I know you more than you're willing to admit; you would never take advantage of me." She offered me her hand. I took it; it was so warm and inviting, I never wanted to let go. We stood up together while I held my sore back. She wrapped her arm around me and we limped, shoulder to shoulder towards her bed.
As I rolled onto the warm mattress, I felt some comfort return to my back. Her nude body slid over me, her face inches from mine. When she pulled her long hair to the side, sunlight bathed her face, causing my heart to pound with excitement. She was looking down on me with that intense smile, her eyes wide with endearment.
When she lowered her head to kiss me, I hesitated. But when her soft lips made contact, this familiar warmth spread throughout my body. That same warmth I felt the night before, when we had been together.
"Ethan, kiss me," her voice was more pleading than demanding.
I immediately returned her kiss, relishing in the contact of her lips; the ache in my heart faded instantly. Our mouths opened and our tongues flicked at each other teasingly. I gently cupped her cheek while our tongues played a gentle tug of war. Then I roamed her back, her body's heat bringing warmth to my hands.
She pulled away and smiled, but she had a different look now. After all the years we had known each other, of all of the faces I've seen her make, this one was different. She wasn't just happy, she was overjoyed. Her makeup was a mess, her hair tangled, she even had some crust in her eye, but the look she gave me took my breath away. So I told her what I was thinking.
"I love you, Val."
Slowly she cocked her head to the side.
"And I love you too, dear cousin."
She pecked me on the lips and then twisted around to grab the blanket behind her, causing her long hair to brush across my face. When she turned back to me; she covered our bodies, laid her head on my chest, and closed her eyes. She snuggled up against my chest, taking a few careful breathes before she spoke.
"I love the sound of your heart beating Ethan...I wish we could be like this forever," she whispered. I hugged her tightly, stroking her back. She took another deep breath. "I love your smell too."
Lifting my armpit to my face, I took a whiff, and scrunched my nose. "Are you sure about that smell?"
"You dummy" she laughed, slapping me on the forehead.
This time I placed my nose to her crown and breathed in; the smell of her body's scent mixed with apples and mangos. Closing my eyes, I let that aroma permeate throughout my body and seep deep into my soul. Last night we had finally let each other know how we felt about each other. After all these years, neither of us had known about the love we shared for each other, until now. And now I knew she desired me as much as I desired her. This amazing woman I've known my whole life, whom I could only want from a distance.
Suddenly, my dick began to spring to life, poking her in the stomach. Val lifted her head, eyes wide, that familiar grin already twisted on her rosy lips.
"Ethan," she whispered; her eyes full of lust. I smiled back at her.
She started giggling as she slithered down my body, unbuttoning my shirt and feeling around my chest. When she found my nipples, she licked them until they were hard, and teased them with her fingernails.
My eyes rose to the ceiling as my breathing quickened and my heart started going two-hundred beats a minute. Suddenly, Val twisted my nipple with her nails.
"Ow, Val!!" I slapped her hand away.
"Just making sure you're paying attention!" she scolded me, barely able to contain her smile.