Chapter 2

It was very dim as most of the lights were off in the house. Kate pushed me down on the couch and sat astride my lap. My cock hadn't softened all night and was still hard as a rock. Resting her forearms on my shoulders Kate took the back of my head into her hands. Nervous tension was giving me the shakes.

When Kate's lips touched mine I thought I was going to explode right there in my dress trousers. Here I was; a red neck, home on leave, the night before deer season, kissing my cousin on my Aunt and Uncle's Sofa. How cliché!

As her tongue made a tentative invasion into my mouth, I thrust forward with my own and licked the bottom side of hers. That must have been a sign to Kate to hit me with an all out frontal assault. Her crotch was grinding on my stiff pecker. Her breasts were burning into my chest. And her lips were wrestling mine, like she was fighting for her life. I was afraid, and I didn't think this was the best idea in the world.

Did I love Kate? Yes! I always had, but as a love interest? I wasn't sure I could honestly answer that. Was I turned on? Fucking A right I was. Did I find Kate attractive? Is the Pope fucking Catholic? Yes, Kate is the most beautiful woman I personally know. What was the problem then?

I did love Kate and I didn't want to hurt her. I sure didn't want Uncle Hank coming out of the bed room with his shot gun, but mostly I didn't like the pace Kate was setting and I didn't want a repeat of prom night. I was on unstable ground, with the person I cared the most about in this world. Wow I had never admitted that to myself before, better go easy here.

I broke the kiss and gently pushed her back just enough to look into her eyes. It was dark, but I could still see her eyes. In them I could see many emotions; lust, love, and fear. Yes, even fear was among the legion. Fear of rejection from the one she loved. Damn I had to be careful.

"Kate I ... I don't think this is the best idea."

I could see tears welling up in her eyes as she nodded her head to the affirmative and started to get up off me.

I pulled her back in hard hugging her close to me. With my lips to her ear, I said.

"Kate, Sweet Kate, do not misunderstand what I am saying. I have finally realized that there is no one on Earth that I care more about than you. I just think this is neither the right place nor time."

Kate looked deeply into my eyes. I could see the adoration in hers, as I was sure she could see in mine. The tears were leaking from her eyes when she spoke in a whisper.

"Adam, I have waited for so long for you to figure out that you loved me. Everyone else has known it for years. My Mama and Daddy and yours knew it back when I was in junior high. I was 12 and you were 18. It was the last fair we ever went to together."

At that moment the look in her eyes told me she was far away.

"You had enlisted and were leaving the following week. The next day, I overheard Aunt Ruth talking to Mama. She said, with the way we looked at each other she thought Mama might of had to get me on birth control. If it wasn't for the fact that you were leaving I probably would have been. I heard Mama say, Kate has been looking at him that way since before she was in the first grade, but if Adam is finally starting to notice Katie..."

I watched as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Oh they talked about how long it would be before we would be married and all kinds of stuff about us. You can't imagine how good hearing that made me feel. I was so in love with you I didn't even know how to handle the feelings I was having."

I gazed into her beautiful blue eyes as her tears continue to run onto her cheeks.

"I've waited for years Adam; I was scare to death when you went into the Rangers. I had overheard Daddy and uncle Earl talking about the rangers and some of the special missions they pulled. I cried and prayed you wouldn't get hurt or killed. When you came home that fall you barely even notice me."

"My breasts had grown so much that they were hard Adam, my nipples ached for you. My heart cried out for you and all you did was treat me like Katie. I could have settled for Katerina, but I wanted to be treated like Kate."

I didn't know what to say. As I opened my mouth, she pressed her finger to my lips and spoke again.

"The next year you did seem to spend more time with me. You paid more attention to me, but not the kind I wanted. Oh yah buster, I was on birth control from the time I was 13. I was ready, but you weren't."

Finally she said with a smug grin.

"You were home on leave after getting shot in Afghanistan," giving me a hard look.

By the way, that damn near killed me you asshole," she said as she slugged me right where the old wound was.

"I was scared to death when I found out you had been shot. They told me you were going to be coming home when you were released from the hospital. I almost went crazy waiting for you to get home."

"While I waited for you, Mama and Aunt Ruth hatched the prom night plan."

I broke in unable to believe what she was saying. "Our mothers planned that?"

"Yes, they planned it! And you fouled it all up!"

Now there was hurt in her eyes, along with new tears. As they ran freely down her cheeks, she spoke again.

"I was crushed when you rejected me Adam. I just wanted to die. The night I had waited for, for years, the night you were supposed to make love to me. The night you were finely supposed to make me your own was the worst night of my life."

Kate broke out in heart retching sobs. I started to tell her I was sorry when she put her fingers back to my lips.

"Adam, part of me died that night, you broke my heart. That was the first time in my life you ever did anything that hurt me, I was devastated." Her words were garbled, as she cried, but the pained look on her face told me how deeply she was hurt.

Kate started sobbing so uncontrollably that she couldn't even speak. All I could do was hug her tighter and wait.

As she cried herself out, and started to regain her composure I said. "Kate I am so sorry, I had no Idea."

She looked at me shaking her head.

"No you didn't, even as hurt as I was I knew you didn't have a clue. When you went to Iraq I had a nervous breakdown. I just couldn't take any more worrying about you Adam. You never thought about me, you were oblivious to how everything you did affected my life."

Kate stood up and reached her hand to me.

"Adam if you ever loved me or think you ever will. Come with me."

I sat there looking at her contemplating what was happening. She was giving an ultimatum of sorts.

I took her hand and she pulled me to my feet leading me upstairs to 'my room'. The Room was where I always slept when I was here and was where my few belongings were stored.

Closing the door Kate turned on the lamp.

"I redecorated your room, last year when you didn't come home. I spent the whole month of November in here while you were in Iraq and couldn't come home. I was in hell, and your room was my only refuge."

I looked around the room noticing the differences. It had changed, it was brighter and I could see Kate's touch. Most of my belongings had burned up in the fire at my folk's, but Kate had a few pictures, from when we were younger. There was a large picture of us from the county fair in 94" on the wall. On the little Writing table in the corner was 5x7 in an antique silver frame. It was Kate and me, taken when I picked her up on prom night. On the night stand beside the old cast iron bed was another 5x7