Chapter 2

Deana awoke disoriented in the late afternoon, thinking it was the morning after a full night of sleep. She looked around and saw it was her brother’s bedroom. Evan was sleeping beside her. She weaved a few scraps of hazy memory together, and the pieces of the mental puzzle fell into place.

The previous night, after fucking on the couch while talking to their mother, they went to bed in her room and got up that morning, boasting of the most peaceful night of sleep either could remember. In the kitchen, they talked about what happened the previous afternoon in the shower. Evan told Deana he knew she secretly listened outside the bathroom door, knowing he was jerking off while thinking about her. Deana did admit that she had wanted Evan back then, but she didn’t mention having the same vision or whatever it was that had passed between them.

They went to Gloria’s bed, and Evan made love to Deana like never before. She had more orgasms than could have been counted. Then, the same way it happened in the shower, their thoughts, memories, and emotions became one shared experience. They fell asleep and didn’t wake up until—Shit, Deana thought, that hadn’t been a dream. Cindy had been there, and Deana lied to Evan, then took him upstairs to cuddle so he couldn’t call Cindy. Her brother would have asked too many questions, so it was better if he didn’t know their cousin had come into the house.

Deana carefully slipped out of Evan’s bed and sat on the top step outside his door in the dimly lit stairwell. Her mind went back through what happened earlier. Cindy had been waiting for her to come out of the shower. Deana realized Cindy was holding the shorts and Victoria’s Secret bag she and Evan abandoned yesterday on the porch. It was clear evidence of their nefarious behavior, but Cindy pushed that concern aside with a casual warning to be more careful. Deana panicked, thinking her cousin saw Evan fucking her in Gloria’s bed, but Cindy had set her at ease again. That was when Cindy kissed her. It must have been the same kind of kiss the nineteen-year-old racecar driver used to get Candy into the bathroom stall.

One touch from those warm, passionate lips and powerful tongue was all it took. Deana knew her towel had fallen, and for a second, it shocked her, but then it didn’t matter. Cindy’s eyes were drilling down into her soul, smashing through the proverbial closet door and ripping open the box labeled, “To the grave secret, never open.” Deana felt exposed and vulnerable and tried to run and hide, but Cindy’s powerful arms forced her to face the devastating fear of being found out. Sobs racked her body, and Deana tumbled into the darkness. Time stood still while each memory tore open old wounds. They festered with new pain. Hatred fueled Deana’s rage, and she tried to flee again, but her cousin held on like the superhero Deana had always imagined Cindy to be.

Broken like a wild stallion, she went limp in Cindy’s arms. Her cousin’s eyes glistened with loving empathy, and the stranglehold became a compassionate embrace. Then, Cindy opened herself up, inviting Deana in. Time stopped again, and Deana saw all the pieces that made up the strong, witty, kick-boxing racecar driver. She would never see Cindy as the cousin she’d always been. The truth about their relationship had been revealed in that moment of intimacy. How the fuck would Deana ever look her father in the eyes again without a gun in her hand?

Still somewhat dazed and traumatized after reliving what happened with Cindy, Deana walked mindlessly into the kitchen, staring at the floor. Candy cleared her throat, and Deana jerked to a stop. Instinctively, she crossed an arm over her chest and placed a hand in front of her crotch, which now had a prickly five o’clock shadow. “Ah, Mom, oh, shoot, Mom, I didn’t know you were home.” Run was Deana’s first thought, but Candy’s expression held her.

“Does that make it okay to walk around like that?” Candy asked.

Deana didn’t think her mother wanted an answer, so she waited. Candy’s steps were hesitant at first; she seemed nervous, then her stride increased. Her mother’s nipples stiffened, and Deana followed the side-to-side swish of the brown rings under the stretched-thin fabric. She licked her lips, thinking about Cindy sucking on Candy’s nipples. The thought excited her, so Deana looked away. Her mother’s belly button was exposed, and below it, baby-blue yoga pants clung to the woman’s crotch. Deana swallowed the lump in her throat as Candy stopped in front of her. Deana’s arms fell, hanging at her sides. It was like the morning they kissed, except now, Deana knew it was Cindy that her mother was thinking about. Inside her head, Deana screamed, say something. “Mmm ... Mom, you okay?”