No Worries Ch. 02

This story is dedicated to my brother. All events are fictional and all characters are over the age of eighteen.

I want to thank my editor, BrettJ for his support of my writing and for being a wonderful friend.

*

Matt listened to his stomach rumbling as he walked into the bathroom naked. She had suggested pizza, his one "can't pass up" comfort food. In the last seventeen hours he had found that they shared a lot in common, including pepperoni pizza. Now he could add to that list of commonalities, passion. He had known without a doubt that Sabrina would be a fiery lover even if her more-than-ladylike behavior outwardly told people she was prim and proper. She would never be the aggressor in a relationship, but it didn't matter to him. She had responded to his touch and his kisses with all the explosive power of Hawaii's volcanoes.

He wet the washcloth and cleaned himself of their sticky juices. He had thought about a shower, suggesting that she join him, but decided he would suggest that at a later time. Perhaps after the next time they made love. Matt had no doubt in his mind that they would. Sabrina would be in his life. He wouldn't have to work very hard to convince her either. His smiled broadened as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. His short light brown hair was tousled from her fingers. He recalled her fingernails digging into his scalp as he had licked her pussy to orgasm. His cock swelled slightly at the memory. It wouldn't take him long to get hard again with her. Perhaps they could experiment with different lovemaking positions after dinner. His stomach rumbled again reminding him that it had been over eight hours since their dinner in LA.

He let the warm water run again over the washcloth as he prepared to clean her, touching her intimately again. Matt's erection was now nearly full at the thought and his mind raced to think if they had enough time for a quickie before the pizza arrived. He walked out of the bathroom, past the sitting area with the sofa and towards the bed. She was sitting on the side of the bed, near the phone. She had his wallet in her hand. Not a strange thing since he had told her to look in it for money for the pizza delivery. But she did have a strange look on her face... one of grief and horror. Could she regret their lovemaking? Matt's heart raced. It was true they had barely met that morning, but the connection between them had been strong from the start. He knew she had felt desire for him hours before they had ended up making love. Why did she look at him that way then? He sat next to her on the bed and she scooted away from him, closer to the headboard though the end table prevented her from going too far away from him.

"What is it, love?" He reached out to caress her hair and she turned away.

"Don't touch me. Please don't touch me, Matt." Her whisper was almost a sob.

Matt's guard was instantly up. He had done something to offend her, but what? His mind raced, but he couldn't think of anything that would cause her to shy away from him. Then he recalled that she had his wallet in her hands. Perhaps she hadn't realized that he was only twenty-six. He knew she was older, in her thirties, but they had never actually discussed the age difference between them. Even if she was thirty-six, did ten years make a big difference to her? He knew without a doubt that he was in love with her. Age shouldn't matter to the woman he loved. Even though the exact words had never escaped either of their lips, he was pretty certain she had some strong feelings for him as well or they wouldn't have made love.

"What is it?" he asked again. "My age? Listen I know you are a few years older, but it doesn't matter. Sabrina, I care for you a lot and I think you care for me too."

She was shaking her head back and forth, silent tears now streaming down her cheeks. "It's not that. Although nearly twelve years is significant."

"Then tell me," he persuaded as he tried to move closer to her again, but she jumped up from the bed and moved far away from him to the other side of the room.

Sabrina still couldn't believe the shock. She couldn't even say the words to him. She felt nasty and dirty and oh so horrible. How could she have not seen the signs? Matt looked so much like Steven: his crystal blue eyes, his flippant use of the phrase "no worries" which had always sounded more like a caress ... from both of them. She couldn't speak at all as she dug in her purse for the one picture of her brother that she had carried with her always. It was the last time she had seen him, in the airport. His arm was laid casually across her shoulder as he smiled into the camera. But her face was in profile as she looked up adoringly at her big brother. She took the picture out of her wallet and then brought it to him. She still couldn't talk.

Matt looked at the picture that she showed him. A man in a military uniform was hugging her. "Yes? Is this your brother?" She nodded. And suddenly he put two and two together... and came up with five. He thought she was distressed because she had found the picture of his dad in his wallet. Both men were dressed in military uniforms ready to head off to war. It must have brought back painful memories for her. He stood up and wrapped her in his arms. She didn't struggle away this time. "I'm sorry, love. Seeing my dad must have brought back painful memories of your brother."

Sabrina's heart broke in two. Matt didn't notice the two men were one in the same. "No, Matt." She did free herself from his embrace at that time. "Your father... my brother. Take a good look at the pictures. They are the same man."

Matt was stunned. He looked at the pictures and couldn't deny there was a striking resemblance, but his mind wouldn't permit him to think of them actually BEING the same man. "They look alike yes, which is probably why you were so startled that I looked like your brother."

Sabrina walked over to the couch and sat as he stood by the bed. Gaining some strength in her voice, but from where she didn't know as she knew she was about to cry buckets of tears, she spoke. "My name is Sabrina McKenzie." She heard the hiss of his breath. "My brother was Steven Matthew McKenzie. You are James Matthew McKenzie. I am your Aunt Bree."

He listened to her words, but couldn't believe. But there it was in living color. The pictures, one in his wallet, one in hers, were of the same man with crystal blue eyes. One had been taken on the steps of his home in Seattle at the time, the other taken later at the airport. Matt sat down with a hard thump on the edge of the bed: the bed where he had been moments before making love to the woman of his dreams. He had fallen in love with his own Aunt.

He had never met his Aunt or his father's parents. His mother had a strained relationship with his father's family and even though his father would make plans to go and visit, his mother was insistent that something else was always more important than visiting her in-laws. Matt was too young to remember all the times that she had refused to go, but he did recall his father's final words to him about his sister.

They were standing in the living room of their house in Seattle, the fourth home in his short seven-year lifespan. "You are the man of the house now, son." Matt had only nodded. "You need to take care of your mother and your sister while I'm away. And Bree. Your Aunt Bree." Matt recalled his father pressing the picture of his younger sister into the tiny hands of his son. It was as if Steven McKenzie knew that he wasn't coming home and he knew that his little sister needed protection. "Love her and protect her as I wasn't able to." Matt didn't understand his father's words at the time, but had always kept the picture. He had his wallet in his hands now and flipped to the one picture Sabrina hadn't seen. She was dressed in a light blue gown with a pretty blue ribbon in her auburn curls. It was her first Homecoming and she had only been fourteen. The letter tucked behind the picture had also found its way into Matt's possession though his mother never knew.

"My darling brother, it was the most magical night of my life. My very first dance and Lance kissed me! He is so handsome Steven and I know you would like him. He's on the wrestling team, just like you were. He's not as handsome as you are though, big brother. Here is a picture of me that Mom took before she drove us to the dance. Don't I look pretty? I miss you so much sometimes it hurts. But I always remember to lift my chin and say to myself 'no worries'. I love you very very very much! Forever yours, Bree"

Matt looked up to see his aunt still sitting on the sofa in the sitting area. He didn't realize that so much time had passed as he heard a knock on the door and knew it was their supper. He paid the man and took the steamy box and set it on the counter. "You need to eat, Bree."

"That's AUNT Bree to you," she stressed remaining seated on the sofa.

Matt ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. This did create somewhat of a problem. Incest: it was totally wrong in society's eyes. He had never been in a situation like this where he had been physically attracted to a member of his family. He glanced over at Sabrina who was sitting with her hands in her lap staring straight ahead, her mind whirling he knew. No one in his family looked as gorgeous as she did to him. He had fallen in love with her even before he knew they were related. He had fallen in love with the woman named Sabrina McKenzie, not his AUNT, though they were one and the same person. Her charming personality had knocked his socks off from Atlanta on. Her beautiful face, sparkling blue eyes and cascading auburn curls had enticed him. He recalled the passion she had displayed as she had writhed beneath him in pleasure. There was no getting over the fact that he was indeed head over heels in love with a member of his family. He would be committing incest. Society be damned! He loved her, desired her and wanted her in his life. If she was willing, as she had been an hour before their identities came to light, they could make their relationship work. He didn't doubt it. He could overcome the fact that they were blood related. The question was, could she?

Sabrina's mind was indeed whirling at the events of the past hour as she sat looking at the landscape painting on the wall. She reflected upon the two palm trees sitting on the island, out in the ocean. The forefront of the picture was of a white sandy beach. The two trees looked so very lonely out in the middle of nowhere and yet, they had each other to keep them company. The island was small, no room for any other tree to grow there, but a perfect retreat for someone to sit beneath their shade and reflect on life. Oh how she wished she were there now, away from Matt and the troublesome thoughts that he aroused in her. Lust was just the beginning of her tumulus thoughts.

She had thought him a good-looking man from the very beginning, she reflected, and as she got to know him throughout the last eighteen hours, she had realized his wit and charm were also in the package that was Matt McKenzie. But this man was indeed the offspring of her brother. He was her flesh and blood... kin. Even though she had fallen in love with the man, she could not think of touching him without thinking of her brother.

She smelled the aroma of the pizza and heard her stomach grumble. She walked over and grabbed a slice out of the box, still not looking at Matt. She couldn't bear to look at him, knowing now that she would definitely see Steven in his eyes. She heard him sigh. She didn't know if it was a sigh of relief that she was eating, or a sigh of discontentment that she wouldn't look at him. She took her pizza and sat back down on the sofa.

The silence was deafening. Matt wondered what she was thinking about. "Sabrina, we need to talk about this."

She sat for just a moment contemplating her answer. She finished chewing and said, "You're right. We have a lot to catch up on. How are your mom and Jennifer? You know I haven't seen pictures of you or your sister since your dad died."

"Don't be like this," he started.

"Like what? Family?" she responded scornfully. "Because like it or not, Matt, we are. Beyond anything else that is the tie that binds the strongest."

"What about us? Before we knew each other's last name, I pleasured you and you pleasured me. We made love to each other, dammit! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"A moment of weakness," she said quietly. "Lust. It cannot, it will not, happen again."

"Weakness?" he laughed incredulously. "Oh no, Sabrina. The power of your passion is definitely not weak. What if I want it to happen again?" he asked softly.

She finally looked at him then. "It can't. My God, Matt, you know it can't. I am your father's sister, for God's sake! Your aunt! In some circles, including your maternal grandmother's ancestry it makes me close, IMMEDIATE family!"

"Before you knew about our relationship, did you care for me? Or were you just going to make this a fling?" His voice raised a notch and sounded stressed. "What would have happened after Sydney? Were you just going to fly on home to Baltimore and reminisce on a great sexual experience and just call it at that? Or maybe it wasn't even great. Maybe you just thought I was a mediocre lover."

"You know that's not true," she spoke halfway through his rant. "You KNOW that's not true, Matt!" He was silent for a while so she continued after his outburst. "I did have visions, dreams of seeing you again. Meeting you in New York. You come down to Baltimore. If it would have progressed into a true romantic relationship, I can't say, but I was hoping for more than just this weekend with you, yes." She was getting bolder as she spoke. "And if you think for a moment that I was not pleased by your lovemaking... beyond pleased... then you really didn't read my body's reactions as well as I thought you might have."

He sat down next to her on the sofa and she started to move away, but he wrapped his arms around her. "Don't go, Sabrina. Please don't shy away from me!"

She looked into his eyes, the same crystal blue eyes her brother had always looked at her with. Suddenly she saw the same love and devotion and protection that Steven had always shown her. "My God!" she whispered. "You're in love with me!"

Matt didn't deny it. "Yes, I am. I fell in love with you hours ago, probably somewhere over the Rockies. That didn't change when I found out we were related."

"You cannot be in love with your aunt! Not romantic love! It's not right!"Liar! Her mind screamed.You are in love with your nephew! No, she had been in love with him, before she knew who he really was. Now that she knew, it wasn't right. They could never have the kind of relationship that every woman dreams about... her knight in shining armor... simply BECAUSE they were related. No... more because she felt she would be betraying Steven. "I think you need to go. You need to find another place to sleep tonight."

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied. "I won't force you to sleep next to me although it pains my heart. I will sleep here on the couch." He released his hold on her. "I won't touch you, if that's what you really want."

At the loss of his arms around her, Sabrina felt dejected. She had for a moment felt safe within his arms. She had felt loved and protected, just as she had always felt with Steven.

She fell asleep, but tossed and turned as her subconscious relived her last few hours with Steven. She knew he'd been called to duty in Iraq and was scared for him, but she was so thrilled when he would make the layover in Denver longer, just to see her.

She was living in her own apartment near the college. It was meager, but just perfect for a college student. She threw open the door and greeted him with a huge hug before ushering him inside, urging him to sit and relax while she fixed him dinner. They hadn't seen each other in eight years, due to Michelle's interference. As she cooked for him they caught up on each other's lives.

"How's school?" he asked.

"Fine. I should graduate on time in two more years. How are the kids?"

"Growing like weeds," he laughed. "I brought pictures with me." Bree took the pictures from him and looked at the nephew and niece she had never met. Matt was seven, almost eight and Jenny was nearly five.

"Matt looks just like you." Bree cupped her brother's face in her hand. He nuzzled into it as if aching for her touch more. "And Jenny looks like Michelle," she added.

Steven nodded and then made an announcement. "Michelle and I are getting a divorce. We've been sleeping in separate rooms for over a year now, but I haven't left because of the kids."

"Oh, Steven!" Sabrina didn't know whether to be excited or sad for her brother. He had never really been happy with Michelle and had only married her because she'd gotten pregnant. "It's a good thing though, don't you think?"

He nodded. "The kids are the only good things that came out of my marriage. It's been really hard to live with her, Bree."

Sabrina came to sit down beside him on the couch and hugged him tight again. "You know I never liked her, but can't you work things out... for the kids?"

Steven shook his head. "The problem is Bree... is that I'm in love with someone else."

A flash of jealousy coursed through her, but it was quickly submerged by happiness for her brother. "Oh Steven! That's wonderful! How long have you been seeing her? Does Michelle know? Are you two going to get married when you get back?"

Steven took his sister's hands in his own and said, "I haven't seen her in... a very long time, but I've known her forever it seems. Yes, Michelle knows. It's complicated, Bree."

"Complicated? Is she in love with you?"

"I... I am not certain of her feelings, but I know she cares for me a lot."

"Then you will just have to win her love with your charm. You've always been able to charm the ladies. And if you weren't my brother I'd be in love with you too."

"Would you?" He half smiled.

"Oh Steven! You know I've always admired and loved you. You always protected me and whenever I was with you I felt that nothing else mattered... that you would always take care of me. Any woman would be happy to have that kind of love and devotion from you."

Steven didn't say anything at all as he looked into his sister's eyes. He leaned closer to her and kissed her gently on the lips. "Do you love me, Bree?" he asked then. She nodded. "How much?"

"More than there are stars in the universe," she breathed. Their lips were still so close and she could feel the heat from his body penetrating to her. She suddenly wanted to kiss him again very badly. She didn't remember feeling any guilt about kissing him... knowing he was her brother.

"Sabrina... my beautiful girl." He put his forehead against hers and whispered, "It's you."

She nodded and said, "Yes, it's me."

"You don't understand. How can I make you understand? "He was stroking the side of her cheek with his thumb. The sensation made her tingle all over. "It's always been you. Ever since the day you came to live... ever since you were born... I have loved you and wanted to protect you. I always felt we should belong to each other. Sabrina... you are the woman I am in love with.... I always have been... for the past twenty years."

"Oh Steven!" she sighed heavily. The man she had grown up admiring and worshiping had just told her he loved her. Not just loved her, but that he is IN love with her. Romantic love... not familial. "Do you know I dreamt as a little girl that I would grow up to marry you?"

"Did you?" he smiled again. "I told myself that I would never tell you how I felt. It is wrong for me to be in love with my own sister. But I can't help it. I'm leaving in the morning for Iraq and don't know if... when I will be back. I needed to tell you." She nodded as tears started to flow down her cheeks. "Oh please don't cry baby," he said softly.