The I-word

But mostly I smiled at the amazing turn of events our lives had taken in the past few weeks. To contemplate all we had done together was almost overwhelming. It was so wrong, and yet so great.

Postlogue

That magical summer Catherine and I continued to spend as much time together as our busy schedules allowed. I passed my written and oral comprehensives in August and soon began writing my dissertation, carefully avoiding the topic of illicit sibling sex.

Catherine was very supportive of me during this time and I can't imagine what it would have been like to navigate the stresses of a dissertation year without her. Penny still gave us grief about why we weren't sleeping together, which we took with good humor. Little did she know what she had wrought!

In late July we spent a blissful week at our parents' lakeside cottage in Vermont. Dad had asked me to go up and work on a few things and since I had the time I happily agreed. The cottage is an idyllic place that's been in the family for three generations. Catherine devised a plan where she would ask mom if she could go up to the cottage and then we would both act a little put out that the other would be there at the same time.

"Oh, well," mom said to Catherine off-handedly. "Just stay out of each other's way."

That brought a wicked smile to my face when Cath told me about it later. Our real plan was to bump into one another as much as possible.

After months in the city it was delightful to be out in nature and Catherine and I took advantage of it to the fullest extent. The weather was beautiful and late one night we spread a blanket on the grass out back and made vigorous love under the stars. Catherine liked physical sex and I soon learned how to give it to her in just the right amounts by pulling her hair and nibbling on her neck, or bending her over the table, pinning her arms to her lower back and slowly sliding my hardness into her as she murmured softly.

We indulged our passion for skinny dipping and during the day took dad's boat out for a spin around the lake. Catherine said she wanted me to anchor in one of the lake's many secluded fingers so she could go down on me. It was a very appealing idea, but we soon realized the danger of being caught out was too great. We slept naked together in the upstairs rooms, the open windows letting in cool mountain air.

If we hadn't made love the night before, we would begin the day with a quick but satisfying romp. I awoke one morning to look down and see my cock in Catherine's mouth. Without stopping, she looked up and gave me the sexiest wink.

One memorable evening we turned out all the lights and lay down in the space made by one of the upstairs dormers. We were snug and cozy as we watched a thunderstorm come over, lightning illuminating our bodies for an instant and then suddenly darkness again. The open window let in warm humid air that seemed to be fleeing before the oncoming front.

Catherine mounted me and the only sounds we could hear over the downpour and thunder were the moans of pleasure from what we were doing to each other. Cath's pussy was warm and wet, like the air outside and even after all those weeks I still couldn't believe I was inside her, hopefully making her feel as good as she was making me feel. There wasn't a lot of room in that small space, but we managed, and after we both came we lay there together, enjoying the sounds of nature and the feel of each other. That moment, that week, remains one of the happiest memories of my life.

Two years later Catherine met a guy she was serious about and our relationship reverted back to one of siblings but with no benefits. I could hardly be upset about it. Sure, I missed her and her fabulous body, but now that my work life was more normal I'd started seeing someone, too. Catherine got married and settled down in the suburbs with her new husband. Our relationship is still excellent, but of course nothing like it was. She'll call me up sometimes and ask if I'm naked, other times we'll talk about our time together as lovers and fondly reminisce about our lusty adventures. We both agree that it was a very special time in our lives and that we do miss that aspect of our relationship. But life goes on.

I do miss her. With our growing families keeping us busy we don't see one another much. Occasionally I'll awake with a start from a sexy dream of her, and look over at the other side of the bed to see my own lovely wife sleeping contentedly. I'll quickly search my conscience to make sure the encounter was just a dream and that I hadn't been cheating, something neither of us would dream of. Catherine knows I think about her just as she thinks about me. We're each the cryptic smile on the other's face that our spouses wonder about.

We keep it all to ourselves, not wanting to envision the hurt that the revelation of our relationship would do to our spouses. We're not ashamed of what we did, but others just wouldn't understand. Occasionally I will look at Catherine across a crowded gathering of extended family and wonder if it was real, if it really did happen. Her salacious wink tells me it did. That knowing look reminds us that we alone share one of the deepest secrets of all.

And you know something? Not in all these years has either of us mentioned the i-word.