Lifetime of Devotion

"What can I do? Anything? Tell me please." He said.

"How about we go inside." She answered.

They took their plates, turned off the candles and went inside. With the blankets wrapped around her body, she sat in front of the fireplace.

"Bring some blankets and pillows and come here." She said.

He found her words commanding, in a good way that is. For him to help, he needed to do everything she wanted, and he was more than willing to do that. Once he joined her, they cuddled together, searching for comfort. He, on his back and now pajamas, and she, intertwined in his body wearing only a summer dress and panties, with her head laying on his chest hearing his heartbeat, wanting to remember the soothing sound, his strong body, his calming voice, his pure soul.

He was the same way. WIth his eyes closed, he thought about how much he loved her. How many sacrifices she had made in order to make him a good man. She had been there in sickness and in joy, and throughout it all, she had been nothing but gracious. She had always said that the vineyard was his, that he only needed to claim it. And with her in his arms, it hit him. It hit him that he could get old here, with her by her side; working together, laughing together, just being a family together. She was indeed perfect, and just like that, he discovered it. He was falling for her.

She had been in love of him all along. When did it start? She didn't know, nor cared. That had been the reason was she had not being ashamed about last night. Because she wanted him not just as a nephew, but as a man. A sweet loving man who had turned her heart upside down in just the most profound way possible. He had been her everything for so long. She had been forced to grow up with him, to be the responsible one, and it had given her joy to do that for themselves. To be fulfilled, to be loved unconditionally. And at that moment, she broke down.

He started to feel his t-shirt getting damped and immediately knew why. They were both rollercoasters of emotions. Babbling messes that couldn't hold it anymore. She was simply the first one to fall. He followed her quickly. His so-called strength was no match for her sorrow as his eyes became wet. He held her tighter, whispering sweet nothings to her, but his words were betraying him. Her tears were unabated, they were getting stronger.

Without recourse, he didn't think it twice. He let his instincts guide him. He made them sit and look at each other's faces in order to see each others' souls, looking for her soul-affirming consent, and finding it. He gently put his hands on the sides of her angelic face, stared at her once more, held his breath, closed his eyes, and then he kissed her.

At no point before or during the kiss they were led by their heads. This was their hearts through and through. Pamela was initially surprised by his boldness, but immediately melted in him as he started to gently bite her upper lip. Enthralling her in his passion, wanting to be one with him.

They kept their lips together as they laid over (and under) the blankets again in a honeymoon hug with limbs intertwined, noses touching, longing augmented. Each one quickly realized that the now was all that mattered. Tomorrow, or indeed the day after could wait. Their passion could not.

"Mmnnn." She moaned.

Her moaning sounded like the angels. Beautiful and obscenely sexy. Reading each other's mind, they opened their mouths and to let each other's tongue find each other.

"Arghhh!." They groaned in unison.

It was divine. The electricity of their bodies was permeating through their tongues and saliva, none of them wanting it to ever end, at least until Pamela finally ran out of breath.

She gave him an unfamiliar smile. Sensual, yet loving; a lover's smile. Not wanting to let go, she broke the kiss and slowly started to kiss his temples, his cheeks, his jaw, and all the way to his neck, massaging all the tiny little muscles of his face along the way. Licking his skin erotically, arousing him in a way he had never felt before.

It felt like too much for him. Turning them around, he made her lie on the pillow as it was his turn to ravish her. Kissing, licking, and soft biting her skin. Not really caring how many hickies she could end up the next day. They would be her temporary reminders of the wonderful night they once had.

She needed control though, for at least a bit. Getting on top of him, she continued to make out with him, and without leaving his mouth and tongue, she raised her dress slightly, enough for her panties to be on top of his pants, and then, while continuing to kiss, she started to rub herself on him through the thin fabric.

Their emotions had been on overdrive the moment they started to kiss. Dry humping sent them up even further. Making his hands rest on her ass, Pamela surrendered her control to him, caressing his temples as a sign of their mutual worship. She probably would've made love to him that night if he had only asked, but he kept going chastely, increasing their joint pleasure, rubbing them a little rougher, all while keeping their moans within their tangled mouths, not wanting to let go. Eventually, desperation took over. Their need for a mutual orgasm was the only thing in their minds. Getting even rougher, he felt her pronounced moans, her orgasm approaching. His pants and her underwear soaked. Her toes curled.

"Mmn! Mnn! MMnnnnnnnnn!" She moaned through her lips.

She had cum. A mind-blowing orgasm that had created body-wide convulsions and had finally ended the longest kiss in each other's life had happened. He wasn't too far away, as her moans triggered his ejaculation, cumming in his underwear. Their juices combining in their soaked underwear.

Minutes later, she found enough strength to decouple from him. Exhausted in all the right ways, she pulled the blankets to cover both of them, spooning with him in the process. None of them talked as they joined once again in each other's arms for fear of breaking the spell between them, except for one little thing: To say "I love you" as they gave way to a blissful sleep.

Sunday came, but fortunately, it came in her boy's arms. The fireplace had extinguished sometime in the night, but it continued inside of her. Yes, she was awfully close to breaking down, but he was here now, and they needed to enjoy every minute left.

Moving out of his embrace woke him up. They smiled to each other without any pretension that they were simply just an aunt and her nephew. Their smiles signalled romance, and they happily obliged their hearts on this one.

Rising to a sitting position, they kissed. It was going to be their first morning kiss in who-knows-when, so they were determined to make it last, with lazy moaning and licks that made each other spine tingle in delight.

"Good morning honey" She said, as she recovered her breath.

"Hi!" He answered, breathless.

The experience had left him breathless, making her aware that he was still only eighteen. If he had had experiences with women, they had probably been rather limited. She found this idea endearing. Jordan had always been in this "middle" in high school. Not popular, but likable enough to have a decent amount of female friends that had tried to be in Pamela's good graces in order to get into Jordan's pants. She wondered if anyone had succeeded as she went back to tongue-wrestle each other's mouth. They had nothing on her.

They were almost dehydrated by the time they stopped, however, it was their stomachs who made the last call, as their need for breakfast took them out of the living room and into the kitchen. They stood up, and parted ways to their showers, each wanting to look good for each other for the rest of the day.

In the shower, Jordan thought about the previous night. He had kissed his aunt out of desperation, out of pain, and out of love. Seeing her cry had been too much so he followed his instincts, remembering how his dad would always comfort his mom with tender kisses. Then again, the kisses became more. They felt lustful, sensual. They had been arousing for him. When his cum-covered pants touched her cum-covered panties, he felt light-headed, feeling that he had had the best orgasm of his life, even if he had not actually touched her wet mound. Intense, that's what it had been. A manifestation of their love turned flesh. A proclamation. A claim towards each other, and as he finished his shower he more than ever, he started to miss her.

It turned out to be a blissful Sunday. All day, they couldn't keep their hands away from each other, both needing the physical touch of the other as if they needed air. At breakfast, Pamela kept caressing his legs under the table with her soft feet, giving him soothing sensations and warmth. They held hands at mass, figuring out that since the town knew he was leaving as well, they could have some wiggle room to have some P.D.A. between them. Later, they walked across town meeting friends and acquaintances, each complimenting how beautiful Pamela looked in her sky blue summer dress, and wishing Jordan the best of luck in the army.

The town visit was cut short however, as rain started to pour heavily over the town, leaving Pamela and Jordan soaked and drenched. They ran back to Jordan's truck and made their way home. As he drove, he couldn't help but being distracted by her. Her soaked dress gave him a view to remember as he saw her rock-hard nipples through the now see-through dress. And yet, that wasn't even the best part, what she did after was even more special for him. Because of the rain, she felt quite cold in his truck —with the air conditioning not helping obviously; so she did the first thing that came to her. She looked for him and wrapped herself on his right side, creating a very intimate moment for both of them.

"Thankfully the truck has an automatic." He said

"I'm just glad we're not cold anymore." She said.

"Just hold me tight, and you won't be cold anymore." He said.

"That's something I can do." She said, while giving him a kiss on the cheek.

At that moment, a country song about true love came to the radio. Jordan could not think of a more perfect scene.

Dinner was a simple affair, with fettuccine alfredo and chardonnay to complete the day. After that, they laid down on the couch to watch a movie, but Pamela was a little too tired, and succumbed to sleep by the middle of it. Jordan lost interest shortly after, turning the TV almost immediately, needing to go sleep as well.

He picked his aunt up and carried her into her bedroom. He laid her down and tucked her in, wishing he could stay with her for just one more day. Hoping that more days like this would come and that they could share a bed one day. He knelt in front of her, picking her right hand and resting it on his face. He stayed on this position for a couple of minutes, as he thought how different their lives were going to be in just a few hours. She would remain. The vineyard, the staff, Chloë, it would all stay here. Except him. He, who had inherited this place, but never thought too much about it, because it had represented his parents, and the dashed dreams any kid has to just be a happy child with parents that would love him. And yet, he had gotten something as good. He got her. She had given up her dreams to be with him, to make this place their place. To be one with him as a parent, as family, as confidant, as his best friend.

It was too much. And it was his turn tear up. Quietly, tears started to fall from his eyes. The commitments had been made, the journey was going to be feel endless at times, and God only knew if he would be able to make it back in one decent piece. But at that time, he swore that he would, and not just only for her sake, but for his own as well. Because in this unforgiving hand of life he had been dealt, there was still hope and faith.

Jordan slept in his room that night. He woke up early, grabbed breakfast, and then wrote a small goodbye note to Pamela, alongside a rose he had found in the vineyard a couple of days before. He picked his backpack, said his goodbyes to Chloë, and left. Pamela would wake up just as the door closed.

***

The first feeling Jordan felt as he entered his home in almost two years was exhaustion. Traveling from a military base in Qatar, to one in Germany, to one in Alabama, and finally to California, had jet lagged him quite a bit. He excused himself and went to his room for a nap, hoping to feel a little recharged come the evening. As he was going through the stairs, his aunt reminded him:

"Remember to come downstairs for dinner, hon." She said.

"Yes, mother." He answered.

"Love you too." She said with a giggle.

An hour or so later, Jordan woke up to smell of food. A scent so familiar and yet so foreign as time had gone by, now back to him in all its glory. He went downstairs and found her pouring wine into their glasses, her final touch as dinner was ready. She smiled at him and approached him, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving a kiss.

"I just wanted to make something you'd missed. I probably overdid it." She said.

"I like it when you overdo things." He said, with a grin.

She had made vegetarian lasagna with cajun rice; a wise choice for a late summer summer night. Eating quietly, they both talked through their eyes, expressing joy in their reunion and hoping this would be a new chapter in their lives where they would get even closer.

"Life doesn't have to change. This place is still yours." She said.

"Then that's what will happen." He said.

A small tear dropped from her eye, which he cleaned up and then she said:

"I was hoping you'd say that."

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked.

She gave a deep sigh as she prepared her answer.

"I've been afraid. I was afraid you had seen things that you could not forget. I've been afraid that you wanted change. I've been afraid that you have changed not necessarily for the worst but not for the better either. I've been thinking about our relationship, and how much I need you here because, you are the end of the day all that there is to me. But I can't hold you back anymore, so everything you do now is your choice. You're an adult now honey, and it's gonna hurt to let you go, but that's what parents do, you know?" She said.

"I'm your child aunt Pamela." He answered.

"And I'm your parent.." She inaudibly answered.

They both teared up, but rapidly they stood up to clean the dishes, not wanting to see the other in pain.

"Just leave them here, ok?" She said.

As she washed, he stood nearby, not wanting to take her eyes off her. He somehow found it hypnotizing to see her this way. Her elegant frame gave her a gracious presence in the kitchen. Her concentration was clearly a distraction from what had been said minutes ago, and yet he found it comforting that she was not fighting tears as she washed the dishes. She looked slightly reassured.

As she dried her hands, he approached her, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his head over right shoulder. Immediately, she groaned, as she let the intimacy of the moment wash over her, knowing that their would never be enough tender loving care from him. Dropping the towel, she started to caress his arms with her soft hands, closing her eyes, and appreciating the relative ruggedness of his skin contrasting to her delicate one.

"You still feel so nice, honey." She said.

"You as well. Are we sure you're 36? You feel extra nice today." He said with a grin.

"Maybe is the lotion. It makes me smell like strawberries." She said.

"Maybe it's just you." He answered, kissing her cheek, making her breathe heavily. "I'm going back to bed. I could use some rest."

"I'll tuck you in." She said.

"I thought I was an adult." He answered.

"You are." She said, turning around. "But you're also my baby." She said, kissing his forehead.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and once again kissed him like a girlfriend.

Each one went their rooms for a change of clothes, with Pamela wearing a pink chemise and Jordan a pair of old cotton shorts and a t-shirt. She went to his room and knocked, getting inside before he had time to answer. He was already lying in bed, looking at the ceiling, lamp on.

She approached him and kneeled right next to him, picking his sizable left hand, giving a significant contrast with her small right hand. He was still somewhat soft, maybe not the tender hands that had divinely caressed her blonde locks many moons ago. Nevertheless she felt a comforting feeling and found herself filling it with little pecks, soothing both of them.

"I didn't know I had such luxurious fingers." He said.

"I was just looking if it was true." She said.

"Are they?" He asked.

"Of course." She whispered.

He regained control of his hand, caressing her cheek and hair. She closed her eyes, concentrating on his touch, feeling her whole body relax, finding comfort but also arousal. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Scoot over." She said.

He moved to the other side of the bed, holding Pamela's hand as he settled her next to him. Each of them lying on their backs, looking at the ceiling while the cool air passed through the open window and into their bodies .

"What's on your mind?" She asked.

"You. You're still you. You're still the woman I compare every other woman to. You haven't changed. I have." He said.

"How come?" She asked.

"I saw things. I saw people die. I saw what fear looks like." He said.

"Did you see hope?" She asked.

"What?" He asked.

"War brings the worst imaginable things in people, but it can also bring the best. Someone very dear to me once told me that." She said.

"My mom?" He asked.

"Your dad." She answered. "Your dad once told me that once the fighting was over people would regroup and rebuild, most of the time from scratch, and through sheer perseverance and force of will, they would continue to live. That's what he did on this place. That's what you have to do."

He turned his body to his left side and she turned to her right, facing each other. His eyes were heavy, but his mind was still alert, if anything he still felt the need for reassurance. He needed his parent, and as he spoke, it would be his time now to cry.

"What's wrong?" Pamela asked.

"It's hitting me. This house. This place. You. I can't live without you. You're everything to me. None of this will matter without you. I ... I..."

She put her index finger on top of his lips, making Jordan gasp. She then embraced him with all her strength, burying her face on left side of his neck.

"You've been everything to me for so long. My one and only. My sweet baby boy. My gorgeous man. To hear those words from you. It's just so overwhelming." She said, giving up on her control, as she started to cry as well.

They held each other as if their lives depended on it, losing their sense of time, making each other the only to people in the world at that moment. They kept caressing each other, intertwining their bodies, kissing in all the places where catharsis could show up, making each other smile in a soothing way.

As the smiles came to their faces, they started rubbing the tips of each other's noses. It was a very intimate moment, this moment however, induced arousal. The same arousal they felt when Jordan left two years ago now back and hitting them like a train. And so they kissed.

Just a short while ago, they had kissed rather inappropriately, but then again it had felt like a spur of the moment for Pamela and Jordan. This time though, it felt immediately like a culmination. A powerful jolt for their souls, an undressing of their hearts as they explored each other mouths slowly but surely, making them moan.

Minutes later however, they stopped. Each one in need of air, but most importantly of assurance. That they consented to what they wanted more than anything. That they would cross the line together for each other's sake. That their pursuit of happiness was not only valid, but pure. That love was on their side as Pamela would say the magical words that would change their lives forever.