The Hitchhiker

"That's why I couldn't go home, Luke. I couldn't have ever told mom and dad what I just told you, but just the shame in me knowing what I did just to get home was too much for me to handle," she said. I kissed the side of her head and continued to hold her.

"Shhh, Katie. Try not to be ashamed, you were faced with a seemingly impossible situation and handled it the best you could. I don't think anything less of you, and I mean that."

More tears flowed from her eyes. "I just... I couldn't see an end in sight. There were so many times in the last few months where I sat wondering why I didn't end it all right then and there."

I got a tissue and wiped the tears from Katie's face. Even in her broken state, she was beautiful, and I felt horrible that she had contemplated taking her own life, extinguishing her own flame from this world.

After a few minutes of silence, I finally spoke up.

"Katie, you made it here. It was really hard, I can't imagine how it must have been and how hopeless it seemed at times, but you're here now. That's real resilience, and strength that I don't think I could have had. You don't have to be in pain anymore."

She nodded silently, and pressed her head closer to my chest, cuddling up under my arm.

"Thank you," she whispered, "for everything."

"I love you, Katherine," I said. "You're going to get back on your feet, I believe that. And I'm going to do everything I can to help."

"I love you, too, Lucas. I don't deserve this at all," she said.

"Of course you do. You're my baby sister, and that's all that matters."

My reply garnered a smile from her, although a weak one.

"Tomorrow we're going to start repairing Katie, and if that process takes the rest of my life, then I'll just go with it," I said, getting up from the couch, about to head to my room for the night.

"Ok," she said, laying down and stretching her feet out where I'd been sitting.

I went into my bedroom and undressed before hitting the shower before bed. My mind was racing through different ideas I had to help Katie, and I started to loosely formulate a plan on how to start the process of getting her settled and everything she needed, and helping her find work when she was ready for it. Getting out of the shower, I dried off and put boxers on. I normally slept naked, being the only one in my apartment, but wanted to stay respectful of my guest. I was glad I'd made that decision, because when I opened the bathroom door to go into the bedroom, Katie was standing at the bedroom doorway.

"Is everything ok?" I asked, with a concerned expression.

"Yeah... well, no. I don't know?" Katie said, "I was wondering... I just don't want to be alone."

Saying nothing, I walked to her and took her hand, leading her to the far side of my bed and pulling the covers back for her to get in. I was glad when I rented my place that I'd opted for a king size, it gave me plenty of room to share. Once I tucked her in, I went over to my side of the bed and got in as well. I turned over to tell Katie goodnight, but as soon as I was facing her, I saw that she was already fast asleep, the emotional toll of telling me her story exhausting all energy from her body. I smiled, and rubbed her back for a moment before I quickly fell asleep as well.

--

During the night, Katie had moved toward the center of the bed in her sleep, and I woke up to her laying against me, the sides of our bodies touching from shoulder to knee. Her warmth was palpable, and as I looked at her face, I saw her in peaceful sleep, her chest rising and falling slightly with each breath. Not wanting to disturb her, I slowly separated from her touch and quietly crept out of bed, my body immediately noticing the sudden lack of warmth I had been drawing from hers in my sleep.

I walked into the living room and shut the bedroom door behind me, knowing that I wanted Katie to sleep for as long as she needed. I made myself a cup of coffee and went out on the balcony of my apartment. I loved the view of the city from my apartment, and I could spend hours relaxing out there.

I finished my second cup of coffee and was still outside when I heard the door to the balcony open. Katie stepped outside and came over to me, hugging me for what felt like forever. I let her, knowing how much she needed it and how much I enjoyed her touch as well. She sat down in the chair next to me.

"How do you feel this morning" I asked her.

"I feel good, Luke. It feels like a weight has lifted off of me, honestly. It wasn't fun to talk about everything, but I think it's something I needed to do," Katie said.

I nodded in agreement with her. "Thanks, Katie," I said, "for trusting me with all of that. It makes me really happy that you were able to unload some of that burden."

"No, thank you. You were willing to take on some of it for me. You allowed me to be vulnerable... something I haven't been able to be in a long time," Katie said.

We sat outside for a few more minutes, before Katie stood up.

"Ok, I have to get back inside, it was so warm in bed and it's kind of chilly out here in comparison!" she said. She was standing right in front of me, and as I looked at her face, my eyes involuntarily flitted down to her chest, to see her nipples poking out, making two tiny tents in my t-shirt she was wearing. Just as quickly, I averted my gaze, admonishing myself for perving on my sister and hoping to hell she didn't catch me. If she did, she didn't say anything about it, just walking toward the door, and turning around to ask if I was coming as well before going inside herself.

I got up slowly, the image of her nipples printing against the t-shirt burned into my head. I decided that she must be a nice b-cup, and they were definitely perky, sitting perfectly on her chest, despite her not wearing a bra. Silently cursing myself again, I followed her inside.

We ate a light breakfast and changed clothes, hers from the day before having been washed and dried that night, and left my apartment, heading to the stores to buy her the things she needed. A short time later, we were both laden down with shopping bags at my insistence, because the whole time she was worried about the money she was spending. I didn't tell her, but it didn't bother me at all. What I had in the bank made the grand total of what we bought that day not even a drop in the bucket.

We stopped for lunch at a deli in the neighborhood, happily eating and talking.

"So Luke, I've been meaning to ask you. No girlfriend?" She asked, taking a bite from a chip.

"No, no girlfriend. There was one, I thought was more serious than apparently she did, but we broke that off about six months ago. A few dates since then, but nothing that stuck. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just didn't see anything that told me a woman had been at your apartment recently and wondered... plus that might be a little surprising to the unsuspecting girlfriend if she were show up and I was there," Katie said with a smile.

"Nope, no such worry," I said, grinning back at her, "plus, a pretty girl just moved into my place, and harems aren't really my style!"

Katie laughed and swatted my arm, but blushed as well at the compliment.

"I just didn't want to be intruding on your life if you had other things going on," she said.

"You'd be doing nothing of the sort. You would have been just as welcome, and anyone else in my life would just have to deal with it," I said.

She didn't say anything after that, but for the rest of the day I noticed a smile on her face pretty consistently. If anything, the memories and trauma she'd gone through were if not fading, but at least being shuffled back by better experiences.

When we got home, she washed and dried all of her new clothes, while I made room in my dresser and closet for them. She got the bathroom set up, and we finally relaxed in the living room, watching a movie she'd picked out. Like last night, she cuddled up against me with her legs curled under her.

"Hey," she said after the movie was over.

"Hey, you," I replied.

"Um... I don't really know how to ask you this, but... I slept so good last night..." she started to say.

"You can take the bed, that's not a problem. I can crash the couch tonight," I offered.

"No," she said, chuckling at me. "I slept that great because I knew you were right there."

"Do you want to sleep with me? I mean, sleep in my bed?" I asked.

"Would you mind?" Katie asked.

"Actually, not at all... I kind of liked it too, if I'm being honest," I said.

"Really?" Katie beamed at me.

"Yeah! It was nice and warm. I was comfortable," I said.

"Ok. If you ever change your mind, I'll get back to the couch, at least until I can find my own place," Katie said.

"Take your time, you're welcome to stay here for as long as you like," I said.

That night, I had already crawled in on my side of the bed while Katie was in the bathroom, I looked over when she walked out to see her wearing another of my old t-shirts, but didn't see any shorts on. I assumed that she only had panties on underneath, seeing her lean, smooth legs disappear under the hem of the shirt. I didn't say a word as Katie slid in to her side of the bed, then over to me, cuddling up against me. I felt her skin against my legs, and an unexplained jolt of excitement shot through me. She settled in, spooning her back against me. I slipped off to sleep, absorbing her warmth.

--

When I woke up the next morning I was suddenly alert to an awkward situation occurring under the blanket Katie and I shared. I was sporting a morning wood that I normally would have been proud of, but this time it was nestled snugly between my sister's ass cheeks. I froze in momentary horror, surveying the situation and trying to plan the best way to sneak out of bed without waking her. As I was thinking about it, the mental image of exactly where my cock was invaded my head with the ferocity of a Roman Legion, which did me no favors, and my cock twitched involuntarily.

Katie stirred, startling me and causing me to jump backward, quickly pulling my hard cock from its nest. She turned over and opened her eyes lazily, but then turned to concern when she saw the expression on my face.

"Luke, what's wrong?" Katie asked.

"Nothing," I said, way too quickly for her to believe the lie. She cocked her head a little bit, not believing me.

"It's just... personal," I said.

"Personal? What do you-" then her eyes glanced down at my crotch, where I was praying that the blanket was concealing my erection.

"Oh... Oh!" She said.

"Sorry... it just, you know, happens," I said sheepishly.

"You know, for an attorney, that sure was a weak argument," she said. Then she smiled at me and started to laugh.

I shook my head and smiled too, rolling over and out of bed in one motion, making sure my back was facing her so she wouldn't see my boxers tenting out in front of me. As I walked into the bathroom, I heard another laugh.

"Don't take too long, Luke!" She said, obviously messing with me. She rolled out of her side of the bed and stood, and before her shirt fell down from where it had ridden up, I caught the view of a pair of light blue silky panties, wedged tightly in her crack because of my cock. I rushed into the bathroom and closed the door before she could see me looking.

I stood in the bathroom for a moment in my own embarrassment. I guess it was probably bound to happen at some point, one of us catching the other compromised, but literally the first week she was here? Damn, I thought to myself. Meanwhile down south, my situation was not improving any more, it was actually getting worse, my cock standing on end, approving what my eyes had just shown it.

I turned on the shower and went to step into the stall, pulling the curtain across the opening and standing there in the water, trying to get my cock to soften. I knew one solution, but I didn't want to resort to jerking off with Katie 10 feet away on the other side of the bathroom door. I tried to distract myself by shampooing my hair and washing my body, but to no avail. My cock needed attention.

Sighing, I reached down and grasped my cock, stroking it quickly as I'd already been in the bathroom long enough and didn't want Katie wondering what I was doing. I felt the tension building up in my balls, reaching the point of no return, when suddenly there was a quick knock on the door.

"Luke! I have to pee, I can't hold it anymore! Stay in the shower, I'm coming in!"

I went into a panic as the bathroom door opened, and I heard her walking in. Seconds later, as I was right on the edge, I heard Katie sigh and her stream hitting the water in the toilet. At that moment, my orgasm crashed through me, and despite my best efforts a moan escaped my mouth as I shot cum across the shower and onto the wall.

"You ok in there?" Katie said.

"Uh...yeah. Almost slipped," I said weakly.

"You almost done?"

"Yeah, throw me a towel since you're still in here," I said, turning the shower off.

A towel was slung over the shower rod, and I heard the door open and shut again. I grabbed it and wrapped it around my waist, opening the curtain slowly just to make sure the coast was clear. I quickly dried off and put my boxers and shorts on before I opened the door. Katie was sitting on the bed with a strange grin on her face.

She knew.

She didn't seem to be all that freaked out by it, I would have assumed she would try to avoid me after even thinking I might be jerking off, but there she was.

"It's about time, is there any hot water left for me?" She asked, standing up and walking toward the bathroom.

"Should be plenty," I said as she shut the door, leaving me in the bedroom, my mind racing.

--

I tried to forget about the encounter as the day carried on, but the more I tried, the more it was embedded in my brain. Katie didn't help the matter, she had the same smile playing at her lips all day long, and never answered when I asked her what was going on.

I started to relax a little later on in the evening, and Katie and I moved from the dining room out to the balcony, a six pack of beer between the two of us, enjoying the evening weather and the view from my place. There was a decent opening between buildings and off in the distance, you could see the buildings of lower Manhattan silhouetted against the sinking sun. We made some small talk between us periodically, but nothing of major significance.

I was in the middle of taking a pull from my beer when Katie spoke.

"I have to know, were you playing with yourself in the shower when I walked in to pee this morning?" She asked, matter of factly.

I spit my beer out all over the balcony and turned to her with my face aghast and turning red. Katie laughed at my response.

"Well, I guess that answers the question!" She said, that sly grin returning to her face, I didn't know what to say, so I just kept quiet, sitting there in my embarrassment.

"Sorry..." I managed to finally spit out.

"Luke, it's not a big deal. I'm honestly surprised one of us didn't catch each other sooner," she said.

The way she said it made my brain itch. She was essentially telling me she had done it too, and possibly on more than one occasion.

"Wait, have you-" I started to ask. Katie just nodded.

"Yeah. Look, we're both adults and we have needs," she said calmly, looking at me, now sympathetic.

My thoughts raced away from the present conversation, into a vision of my little sister in my shower, two fingers sunk into her slit while stroking her clit with her other hand, head thrown back in pleasure and moaning, shuddering as she climaxed.

I guess I was in that world for awhile because I heard, "Earth to Luke," come from Katie, bringing me out of the vision. I looked at her blankly.

"You alright over there?" She asked.

"Yeah, just zoned out for a second," I said.

We sat outside for a while longer until it was completely dark before heading in and getting ready for bed. With everything else on my mind, I hadn't even considered the fact that we'd be climbing back into the same bed in a little while. When I finally did, a foreboding feeling crept over me, and I actually was apprehensive about going to sleep. Katie noticed.

"Hey, do you want me to crash the couch tonight? I don't mind," she offered.

"No, no... it's ok, Kate. I'm good," I asked. She leaned in and hugged me, smiling up at me.

"Good. You're warm!" She said. Damn...

I got ready for bed first, going into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. I walked out wearing boxers and athletic shorts, and sat on the bed as Katie went into the bathroom next.

A few minutes later she walked out.

Her hair was straight down her back, the minimal amount of makeup she put on this morning gone, as if she needed any at all. She was wearing one of the t-shirts she bought the other day while we were out shopping that stopped right at her belly button, and a pair of blue panties. That was it. I would have needed the strength of ten men to turn my head away and stop staring, but I couldn't even muster my own. The graceful curve of her ass was accentuated by the panties hugging it, the contrast in color between fabric and skin irresistible to look at. Her shirt was tight, showing her lean torso and thin waist that flared into an incredible pair of hips. Her breasts were sitting perfectly, and her nipples barely poking the fabric of the shirt. It was thin enough to see the slight color difference of her nipples from the skin around them.

A nervous chuckle startled me. "You ok?" She asked.

"Yeah," I said, hesitating for a moment, debating whether to say what was on my mind.

"Katie, I don't know if you've ever been told this... but you are an incredibly beautiful woman," I said quietly.

She blushed, beaming at me, and swooped down to kiss my cheek. Her scent lingered in my nose as she stood back up, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.

"Thank you, Luke. It means more coming from you than anyone else," she said. She climbed in bed on my side, scooting over to hers, laying on her side and looking at me. I slid under the covers and closer to her, where she put her hand on my chest and nuzzled against me.

"I love you, Luke," she said, looking at me.

"I love you, too," I said, grabbing her hand and kissing it. Suddenly a wave of tiredness swept over us both, and we fell asleep.

--

I woke up in the exact same condition I had the day before. My cock, rock hard and nestled in between the soft ass cheeks of my baby sister. As she spooned up against me overnight, I wrapped my arms around her and found her breasts pressed tightly up against my arm, only the fabric of her shirt separating our skin. As I started to inch back, she stirred, holding my arms across her chest.

"Luke... I know, it's fine," she whispered, wiggling her ass a tiny bit just to confirm exactly what she thought was fine... it took every ounce of me not to push my hips toward her, burying my cock deeper within her panty-clad ass. What I couldn't control was the twitching my cock was doing. She chuckled as she felt it move, but made no effort to extract herself.

"Good morning, big brother," she said, slightly pressing her breasts further against my arm.

Hearing her say 'big brother' while in this position, with me in my state of complete hardness, fried my brain with the possibilities of what may happen between us. I was fooling myself if I thought I might ever say no if she was into me, but the aspect of intimacy with my sister was something I was having trouble trying to unpack. Would I be taking advantage of her while she was trying to rebuild herself? Surely she didn't come here for this, how could I live with myself. The gears in my brain must have been whining loud, because either Katie heard them or she was just that good at reading my thoughts.