So Many Kinds of Love

As I rounded the corner to my sister's house, the heavens opened up.

Lay-la, Lay-la, I-will-love-you

Opening the door, I shouted her name.

**

She didn't give me a chance to speak, instead hustling me upstairs into the shower as soon as she saw me shivering in the rain on her front stoop.

"You'll catch your death, and then where will I be?" she fussed, sounding so much like her old self that I had to smile. "Now get in there and clean up. I'll be in the living room."

Lathering up, I thought of my first shower in her house. I had fantasized about Amanda that time, and smiled wryly when I realized I could barely remember what she looked like now. My cock had its own set of memories, though, and stirred lazily as I soaped and rinsed it off and told it to wait.

Still damp, I thundered down the stairs and found Layla curled up on the couch, listening to an old John Denver CD. We locked eyes as I walked to the couch and sat down beside her.

"I take it you decided?" she asked.

Nodding, I put an arm around her, just as I often did -- but we both sensed it wasn't the same at all.

"Yes," I replied. "I mean, I decided -- yes. If that's what you want, then yes."

"Some writer you are," she teased. "If that's what you call communications skills, then..."

As the rain pounded against the windows, I kissed her forehead gently, the way I had hundreds of times before. She grew still.

"Are you sure you want this?" I whispered as the room grew darker with the storm.

She gazed into my eyes and nodded. "Yes."

A clap of thunder made us both jump, then giggle nervously.

"When would you like to try it?"

She gave a little smile. "No time like the present. That way, I won't have time to get nervous."

"It'll be weird at first," I warned her.

She shook her head. "Maybe for you, because you're still getting used to the idea. But I've been thinking about it for a long time."

Hugging her to me, I kissed her forehead again, then moved down to her cheek. "How long?"

"Since you came back. And if I'm honest, probably before that, even. But definitely since that first morning."

"Why's that?"

Blushing, she leaned into me. "I could hear you, you know, in the shower. And it kind of turned me on. And then, that night you met Michael, I had to get up to pee and when I was done, I saw your door was open, so I peeked in your room and you were, um, you were muttering and, uh, stroking yourself, and I couldn't stop staring."

Remembering that night, I recalled thinking I had seen something move in the hallway outside my door. "So that was you!"

She nodded. "Yeah. It was so sexy to see you like that. I had never seen a man like that, so I watched you, and when you were done, I slipped back down to my room and got off, too."

Chuckling, I kissed the bridge of her nose. "You little scamp! I had no idea."

"You don't think I'm terrible?" Her voice quivered and I held her tightly in the darkening room.

"Of course I don't think you're terrible. You're the best person I know. By definition, you could never be terrible."

She snorted lightly. "You might be just a little bit biased."

"Nope. I'm just telling the truth."

A flash of lightning and an immediate crash of thunder made my scalp prickle. John Denver abruptly stopped singing as the lights went out. Layla burrowed into me. "That was close!"

"Mmm. Don't be scared. I'm here."

The part of my brain not involved with this scene marveled at how naturally everything was happening. Now that I had made the decision to give myself to Layla, it all seemed much easier. I patted my thigh. "Do you want to sit here?"

She answered by moving her thin bottom onto my lap, nestling against me in a way that made my heart thud a little faster. One arm went around my neck and shoulders as she settled herself on me.

"Can we kiss?" she whispered.

I lifted my face to hers. "I'm all yours, girly."

Slowly, she lowered her head until I could feel her heat against my cheek. I shifted my own head slightly and found her soft lips with mine, closing my eyes as I tried to make sense of this singular moment, so unlike any other in my life. The feel of her pliant body against mine was no surprise, nor her warmth -- it was the sense of familiarity, of coming home, that made this so different, so special.

Outside, a siren wailed, an ambulance passing our house. I pulled her as close as I could and kissed her again, trying to tune into her feelings. Her body, so light now, seemed like a stranger's, and that made it a little easier for me to run my hands up her back and over her shoulders before brushing them lightly over her breasts. She squirmed against me and I let my arms fall open in case she was having second thoughts.

"Is this all right?" I asked, running one finger down her cheek when she didn't move.

"More than all right. I'm just having trouble believing it's really happening."

Chuckling, I shifted, swinging my legs onto the couch and lying back on the throw pillows. I opened my arms in invitation, and she lay down, half on top of me, as if we were having a very slow wrestling match.

"Let's try making out for a while," I suggested. "I'd love to just kiss you for a while. Slow, easy kisses -- so sexy."

Snuggling into me, she slid one hand around my chest and put her face next to mine. "I'm in."

This time, she took charge while I happily lay back and enjoyed it, opening my mouth after a bit to give her access and, I hoped, ideas.

Her first tentative foray into my mouth showed me how few opportunities she'd had to enjoy French kissing, and that redoubled my resolve to focus on her and give her a wonderful experience. Wrapping my arms around her, I let my tongue dance with hers, and after a few moments, she relaxed against me and abandoned herself to our play.

One of my hands made its way down her back and kneaded her thin little rump as we continued kissing. Her soft moan and movements against my body stoked my own desire, making me forget any objections I'd ever had. I tasted Layla on my lips, felt Layla's hip against my erection, heard Layla's sighs as I caressed her, and it was all I could ever want.

"I'm getting a crick in my neck," she said. "Could we maybe go upstairs and lie down?"

Sliding out from under her, I stood and held out a hand to her. "Your wish is my command, beautiful. Let's go."

I kept my arm around her as we walked up the stairs and she leaned her head against my shoulder when we reached the top. "You make me feel special," she confided.

I kissed the top of her head, where a little fuzz was doing its best to sprout. "You're the most special person in the world to me. I love you with all my heart -- and now all my body too."

She sniffed and I felt her tremble. "Oh, Gar."

Pulling her into a full-body hug, I held my sister for a long while, trying to make her feel how much I cared.

Drying her tears on my shirt, she took my hand and led me to her bedroom.

She had changed it since my last visit. The medical equipment sat tidily against one wall -- she and Gabriela had similar ideas about clutter -- and her bedside table now held a stack of books in case she felt like reading. What caught my eye, though, was the family portrait that now hung opposite her bed. Mom and Aunt Tracy had conspired to enlarge the best of our childhood photos to give Layla as a morale booster. They had done a fantastic job. It lifted my spirits too.

A tug at my wrist brought my focus back to Layla, and she gave me a shy look as we sat on the bed at the same time. She folded her arms across her chest, plainly apprehensive. This would never do, I thought.

"Clothes off?" I said, keeping my tone light.

Anxiety filled her features, and once more, I thought about how much I hated Michael.

"I don't know."

I hooked my thumbs under the hem of my T-shirt. "I'll go first." Slowly, I pulled off the shirt, then my sweats and boxer-briefs, not trying to make it seem sexy so much as the most natural thing in the world. I folded them and tossed them to the nearby chair. "See? Easy-peasy."

"You've got a good body," she argued, staring at me in a way that made my stomach do a backflip or two. "No one's going to reject you."

Putting my weight on one hand, I leaned forward and gave her a peck on the cheek. "It's just me and you here, girly. I love you with everything I have. The last thing I'm gonna do is reject you."

A frisson passed through her and she looked at me again before slowly reaching down.

I wondered suddenly if she simply didn't know how to take off her clothes in front of someone else. "Do you want me to do that for you?"

She looked relieved. "Please."

I scooted closer to her and carefully pulled her shirt off, folding it as I had mine and placing it on the chair before folding her in my arms to stop her trembling. She wore no bra, and her skin felt warm and silky against mine. I ran my hands all over her torso before following suit with my lips. Within a few minutes, I had her on her back, eyes closed and mouth smiling as I caressed and kissed her.

"Ready to take the rest of your things off?" I murmured, nuzzling her neck.

"OK," she breathed, raising her hips to help me.

In one smooth motion, I eased her shorts and panties down her legs. Flinging them to the floor, I positioned myself behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, my hardness pushing into one cheek.

"Can you feel how much I want you?" I asked her before lightly tracing one muscle on her neck with my tongue.

She jumped in a happy sort of way. "Oh yeah. I definitely feel that."

I placed my free hand on her hip and slowly swept it up her body, feeling the iliac crest jutting just below the skin, then diving into the hollow of her waist before rising back up to slide over her ribcage and on to her breast. She sighed with pleasure as I made slow figure-eights all over her body.

"Do you like this?"

"Mmm-hmm. It feels fantastic."

I let my hand drift down to her mound to give her more caresses. She stiffened at first, but relaxed as I kept up a steady, unthreatening rhythm.

"I never knew it could feel so nice," she said, rolling on to her back. I bent my head to kiss her and let one finger tease the length of her slit as she moaned.

"It's all about your pleasure today," I replied, kissing her neck. "All about Layla."

I worked my way down her body, avoiding her port and concentrating on healing her from Michael. Slow and sensual, I decided, feeling the way she tensed or relaxed as I touched her. Sex with Gabriela might be an intricate tango, but intercourse with Layla needed to be a homecoming waltz.

I paused at her mound. The chemo had caused all of her hair to fall out, and the bare flesh looked forlorn somehow. Again, I bowed my head and licked and kissed her everywhere I could reach, slowly taking her to the heights. After several minutes, I eased my tongue into her folds, flicking it on her swollen clitoris, reveling in the scent of her arousal, my cock growing ever harder at her cries of pleasure.

Soon, I thought. She's so close. Slipping a finger inside, I found her sweet spot and returned to kissing and licking her. It didn't take long before her thighs clamped around my head and she came hard against my mouth, squealing with pleasure. Moving with her, I kept up the pressure until she fell back against the mattress, exhausted.

She panted for a long time, and I laid my head against her belly until I felt her breathing return to something approaching normal. Scooting back up her body, I kissed her deeply, absently noting that the rain had stopped pounding on the roof.

"Do you want me?" I asked at last.

"More than anything."

Putting one knee between her legs, I rolled onto my forearms. "Do you think you could guide me in?"

She stared at me and reached down. Her hand felt tentative but loving, and she caressed the head as she positioned me at her gateway. "Like that?"

Nodding, I kissed her mouth. "Just like that."

I wriggled into place, and again, she tensed. I gazed into her Nordic blue eyes, the growing light outside shining through them and making them glow.

"Girly, I'm going to take this very slowly. If you feel any pain at all, just say so and I'll stop. OK? Remember, this is about your pleasure."

She nodded trustingly, and my stomach gave a lurch at the love I saw in her face. "OK."

"Here goes." I gave a slight push and felt her resist for a brief second or two before her muscles relaxed. Keeping my breath calm and steady, I pulled back, then gently thrust again, a little deeper this time.

"How's that?"

She looked thoughtful. "It doesn't hurt."

We kissed, and with a series of thrusts, I penetrated a little farther into her slippery depths until I had given her everything I had. Layla laughed, and in my head, it sounded like an echo of the mystical night on Gabriela's patio.

"Oh my gosh, it feels great! I can't believe it!"

I smiled down at her, and pulled back. "Ready for something a little more vigorous?" She reached down and pulled me to her. "I guess that's a yes?"

"A big fat yes!"

She spread her legs wide in invitation, and I grinned. "All right, girly. Let's fuck."

Losing myself in her tight heat as I established a brisk rhythm, I soon noticed she had stopped moving with me. "You OK, sis?"

"I'm getting tired," she admitted. "But you gave me such a good orgasm. I want you to have one too."

Deep inside her, I paused to kiss her eyes, her forehead, her cheeks. "OK. I'm pretty close anyway."

"Make it a good one," she urged me.

I smiled down at her. "Not a problem with a sexy partner like you!"

Bracing myself to keep most of my weight off her, I found the right tempo and went for it, loving her snug walls all around me.

"It doesn't get any better than this," I whispered to her. "You feel amazing."

Joy lit up her face. "Really? You mean it?"

I paused to kiss her, my mouth relaxed and easy. "Yes. You're wonderful. Everything I could want, and more."

Shivering, she curled her arms around my neck as we resumed our loving. "You feel so good inside me. I didn't know it could feel so good."

"You were made for love, girly."

Her whole body seemed to smile. "I guess I was."

Time lost its meaning as we moved together, but eventually, I felt that little twist deep inside that meant the orgasm train had left the station, then that bubbling sensation in my balls that announced its imminent arrival.

"Gonna come," I rasped, and briefly buried my face in my sister's neck before pulling back to look at her.

Outside, the sun had slipped under the cloud deck. Rays of light caressing her face, Layla stared up at me. "Come for me, baby. Please. I want to feel you."

That was all I needed. Shouting her name, I obeyed my sister, just as the doctor had ordered.

**

The next few days passed in a happy blur. I had worried about my relationships with both Layla and Gabriela, but I shouldn't have. After a long conversation they barred me from attending, both of them seemed lighthearted, which kept me feeling relaxed and affectionate -- and our evening sing-alongs never sounded better. Joining us for dinner Sunday night, Mom looked quizzically at us but wisely kept her questions to herself.

Pizza from Vito's had become a weekly tradition, so I headed down there after my workout Monday, still smiling at the ferocity of one of the colleagues I was coaching in self-defense techniques. Overweight and shy, Megan Magee had sought me out a couple of months earlier, asking if I could maybe teach her too. A single mom who lived in a marginal neighborhood, she worried about protecting her daughter. Mindful of the women in my own life, I had gladly taken her on.

The strength of her commitment and the ease with which she had picked up most of the techniques had surprised us both. Now fifteen pounds lighter, she welcomed the challenging workouts and held nothing back when we sparred. Her single-mindedness reminded me of Smitty, and Layla.

Still pumped from our session, I strode into Vito's and greeted Eddie, the owner's morose nephew who usually manned the counter in the evenings when I came in.

"Couple of minutes," he muttered, and jerked his head towards one of the booths in the back. "Guy over there looks like you. Crappy tipper, though. Your cousin?"

Turning my head, I looked straight into Michael's startled eyes.

"No, but I know him," I said, not taking my eyes off my sister's ex. "I'll go say hi till my pizza's ready."

"He don't look like he wants to chat," Eddie observed.

Leaning forward, I spoke in a low voice. "He's the little shit that broke my sister's heart."

Nodding, Eddie reflected on this. "Got it. If it gets physical, take it outside. We just did a reno."

As I threaded my way through the mostly empty dining room, I rolled my shoulders to loosen them up and kept a slight smile on my face. Without speaking, I slid into the seat opposite Michael, and waited, letting the tension build.

"How ya doin'?" I finally asked, keeping my tone pleasant.

He glowered at me, acting as if he owned the place. "Fuck you."

My smile deepened as I sat up a little straighter. "Wrong answer."

"Nobody asked you."

Letting my smile die, I narrowed my eyes and stared at Michael. The effect was gratifying. He looked around wildly, and Eddie gave him a sardonic grin from the counter. Finding no support there, his eyes darted around the room before finally coming to rest on me once more.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"For starters, an apology."

Again, he studied the dining room, looking anywhere but at me. When he finally answered, his tone was belligerent, as if he had decided to brazen it out. However, the sweat on his brow told another story. "What for? I never did anything to you."

I leaned forward, and unconsciously, he leaned back, not wanting to be any closer to me than necessary. "Actually, you did. You hurt my sister."

Rolling his eyes, he snorted. "She wanted it. She asked for it."

I regarded him as I would have a cockroach. "She asked to be loved, not used. You used her."

"She wanted a fuck. I gave her one. Her own fault if she didn't like it."

He spoke as if we were both men of the world, complicit in our contempt for women. My urge to punch him in the face grew.

"Wrong. She trusted you. You betrayed her. And now, you're going to pay."

His eyes widened. "What the fuck does that mean? You try something, I'll call the cops."

Reaching out, I placed my left hand on his right shoulder and planted my right thumb in his chest, right at the attachment for the pec minor. Gasping, he tried to wriggle away, but I moved with him, increasing my pressure as I did.

"Get off me, or I'm calling nine-one-one," he squeaked.

I scanned the dining room. Nobody seemed to see us, save Eddie, who was clearly enjoying the show, even from a distance. "Really? Whatcha gonna tell them? That I poked you with my thumb? They'll laugh in your face, you stupid prick."

I gave him another ten seconds before letting him go. Panting, he rubbed at the spot as I watched, amused.

"The great thing about being a military medic is that you learn all about nerve clusters and pressure points and other helpful things you need to heal your guys, or subdue an opponent. It's your bad luck that my best friend is a hand-to-hand combat expert, so I learned from the best." Leaning forward, I lowered my voice. "I could take you out in a dozen different ways, and make any and all of them look like an accident."

All bravado gone now, he gazed at me, his eyes dull, his face the color of wallpaper paste. It did my heart good to see him like that.

"Now, I could wait for you in the parking lot tonight, and beat the shit out of you, and call it a good day's work. But that's too easy for a dumb fuck like you, and besides, Layla's probably wondering where I am."