“What are you talking about, Emma? Of course, you can stay here with me. You can stay here for as long as it takes.”
“You don’t really mean that.”
“I’m not lying. In fact, I’ll be sorry to see you go after you graduate. I like having you here. An extra year is a bonus, believe me. And as far as the tuition goes, leave that with me. I’m sure we’ll figure it out. I need you to concentrate on school. The rest of it will get sorted.” She pressed her head against my chest and hugged me tightly. I rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. “I promise.”
She looked up at me, put her hand on the back of my neck and kissed my cheek. She held that kiss a lot longer than I expected. “Thanks, Uncle Jeff. I don’t know why you’re being so good to me.”
I took her face between my hands. “Emma, you’re family. You’re my sister’s daughter. That’s what families do. We watch out for each other, take care of each other.” We sat together quietly for a moment and then she suddenly leaned in and kissed me on the mouth. Instantly her face turned deep red, and she looked away.
“I – I’m sorry, Uncle Jeff. I shouldn’t have done that.”
I held her face in my hands again and kissed her forehead. “Don’t be sorry, Emma. It’s been a long time since a beautiful woman kissed me. That was nice.”
She looked up at me. “Beautiful? You think I’m beautiful?”
“I do, absolutely. You’ve grown to be a brilliant, beautiful woman. I’m so proud of you. It meant the world to me when you gave me that kiss on campus your first day. I was sure you’d have rather died than be seen with this old geezer.”
Her cheeks flushed again. “Uncle Jeff, you’re not old, and I… I’m proud of you too. I really like it here with you.”
I gave her forehead one more kiss, then stood up before we got carried away. “Enough of this Mutual Admiration Society stuff. You must be starving. I had a plan for dinner but maybe this is a good night for comfort food in front of the TV. I make a mean mac ‘n cheese. How about it?”
She nodded, standing up and heading for the hallway. “That sounds great, Uncle Jeff. I’m gonna go up and get changed.”
“I’ll give you a yell when it’s ready.”
We finished dinner in front of the television and sat slouched at either end of the big sofa. Emma had changed into a skin-tight, sleeveless top and cycling shorts. Once again, I tried not to look. It seemed this girl didn’t care how revealing her clothes could be when she was around me. I felt conflicted, knowing she was my niece but also knowing it was hard to stay focussed on that fact.
I scrolled the listings, looking for something interesting. “Is there anything you want to see?”
She shrugged. “Not really,” as she watched the titles roll by. “Oh, hey! That one. I’ve heard it’s pretty good. How about that one?”
“Sure. I’ve never heard of it but it’s worth a try, right?” I pressed play and settled deeper into the couch. “Hmm, ‘horror, gore, frightening scenes… viewer discretion advised.’ Are you sure you want to see this?”
“Why, are you scared?” she teased.
I grabbed her bare foot and gave it a good squeeze. “Scared? We’ll see who’s scared. Bring it on.”
It was good, as far as slasher movies go. They’re not really my thing but I was willing to give it a try. It was just about finished when she slid across the couch and leaned against me, tucked up in a ball, her knees under her chin.
There was one particularly graphic scene that turned my stomach. Emma hooked her arm in mine and buried her face in my shoulder. “Yuck. Tell me when it’s over,” she groaned. I felt her breasts press against my arm. I’m ashamed to say that it immediately brought the blood to my groin. She was indeed a beautiful, sensual woman. It was getting more and more difficult to remember she was my niece.
“All clear,” I said. She turned back to the TV, then shifted suddenly and laid her head on my lap. My hard cock pressed against her cheek. She immediately sat up again, her eyes fixed on the screen. We both sat silently as the last scenes of the movie played out, trying earnestly to ignore what had just happened. When it was over, she got up and headed for the door without a word.
“Emma? Emma, wait,” I said quietly. “Emma, I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting that to happen. I’m sorry.”
“Blood and guts get you hard, Uncle Jeff? That’s a little creepy, you know.”
“No, Emma, that’s not it. It had nothing to do with the movie.”
“Then what?” she asked. I saw her eyes widen as she realised the true reason. “Oh shit, me? Really, Uncle Jeff? Why?”
“I…” my voice trailed off. She stood there, arms crossed, waiting for an answer. “Look, you’re an attractive girl, Emma. My body doesn’t care that you’re my niece. It’s not like I can switch natural reactions off and on. I’m sorry it happened but, honestly, it didn’t help that you have nothing on under that shirt.”
Without another word, she headed upstairs to her room. I stayed put in the darkness of the den, mortified by what had happened. What the hell was wrong with me? She was my niece for god’s sake! How was it possible I could react to her body that way? I crept up the stairs to my bedroom. Her door was shut tight. No surprise there. In fact, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she was packing her things, ready to move out in the morning. I was the classic creepy uncle, perving on my own niece. I climbed into bed knowing I wouldn’t get a minute of sleep that night.
It was a bright Saturday morning the next day. I sat at the kitchen table with a coffee in hand, dark circles under my eyes. I’d been right. No sleep. I’d tossed and turned all night, getting up, pacing the room, staring out the window, getting back into bed only to repeat the whole routine again and again until the first light of dawn showed on the horizon. I heard Emma come down the stairs. Oh lord, here it comes, I thought. She was wearing exactly what she’d had on the night before. She sat down across from me, elbows on the table, staring at me. I looked up and our eyes met.
“Look, Emma, I’m…”
She held up her hand. “Shush, no. Let me speak.” I sat back, wondering what was coming next. “Last night shocked the hell out of me but I’m not mad at you. I get it. It’s just something that happened. You’re not some dirty old man perving on me. I know that.” Her cheeks reddened. “In fact, I… I know this sounds weird but the more I thought about it, if you look at it from all sides, in a strange sort of way it was kind of a compliment, you know? I liked it when you told me I was beautiful. I like that you notice me. You make me feel… I don’t know… special.”
I reached across the table for her hand. “Thanks, Emma. That means a lot to me, that you don’t think I’m some sort of creep. I love you. You know that, right? You’re my niece and, for me, that puts you on a pedestal.”
She nodded, squeezing my hand. “I love you too, Uncle Jeff. I’m sorry for reacting the way I did.”
“So, we’re friends again?”
“Friends again,” she nodded.
The months passed by. We found our new normal, grew closer, spent free time together. She got me out of the house more often than I had in years, going for hikes and bike rides. We even shared a few dinners together at some of the better places in town. I was always careful around her, conscious of how it appeared to others. Fortunately, we had a family resemblance. People assumed she was my youngest daughter, not some sugar daddy and his hot little number out on a date.
She was even back on speaking terms with her parents and spent a fair amount of time on the phone with them. They seemed much more relaxed, glad to see their daughter getting along so well. They were always sure to tell me how much they appreciated what I was doing for her, that I was a good influence on her. I was happy to tell them that Emma was the same for me. I was in better shape, mentally and physically than I’d been for awhile. Life was good.
It was Reading Week. Exam time was looming, and I could feel the stress building in Emma as she spent hours in her room, flooding her mind with facts and figures, theories and case studies. She truly was a brilliant student, but it wasn’t enough, not in her chosen field. She was surrounded by other brilliant minds all striving for the same goal, the same letters after their names, all chasing those rare opportunities in the outside world. I was concerned that she might spiral back into the darkness of her first days here with me. I looked for ways to keep her mind safe and calm.
She’d been in her room for hours one evening when I decided she needed a cup of tea. I brought it upstairs and tapped lightly on her door. No answer. I pushed it open slightly. “Emma?” Still no answer. I peeked around the door and found her slumped over her desk, fast asleep, her cheek resting on a thick reference book. She stirred awake; her eyes were heavy with exhaustion. “Oh, Emma, no. Come on, take a break.” I set the hot tea on the desk.
She straightened up and stretched, groaning as she did. “Thanks, Uncle Jeff. That’s really thoughtful.” She stretched again, straining her neck and shoulders.
“You look like you need a good massage.”
“Do you know anyone who does house calls?”
“Well, no, but I’ve been known to be pretty good at it myself.” I hesitated, remembering that night of the movie. “I’d offer but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable about it.”
She turned to me. “Uncomfortable? Why’d you say that?”
I shrugged. “I just want you to know there’s nothing behind it, that I’m not looking for an excuse to get my hands on you. Okay?”
“It never even crossed my mind.” She stood up. “Where do we do this?”
“Lay down on your bed, close to the edge where I can reach you.” When she was in position, I stood beside her and placed my fingers lightly on her back. She shivered.
“Hey, that tickles.”
I chuckled. “I’m afraid that was the last tickle. Your shoulders and back are hard as rock. This’ll take some work. Ready?”
“Ready.”
Her groans were muffled by the bed covers as I pressed my hands into the tight knots along her shoulders. My god, she was stressed. It had a vise grip on her body. I slowly worked my way down along her spine, pressing my fingers into those aching muscles, rubbing deeply.
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