Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Chapter 13 Joan had dance class again that afternoon, so Sam spent the time
after school doing his homework and getting ready for his study session
that evening.  He wondered again if Gina was being affected by whatever it
was that had happened to him.  If she had, would she act on it?  Should he
make a move?  They had been friends since childhood, but he had been
attracted to her for the last several years.  Did she reciprocate?  Had
things changed too much for her to be comfortable with him?

   When Joan came home Sam was just finishing his preparations.  She wore
the same dance clothes that she had the first day they'd made love, which
outlined her figure beautifully.  Sam looked at her admiringly as she came
into the living room and dropped with a sigh into a chair across from him.

   "How are you doing?" he asked her solicitously.

   "Beat," Joan said frankly.  "I haven't been getting enough sleep
recently, as you may have noticed.  Practice today really wiped me out."

   "I'm sorry," Sam said.

   "Yeah, me too," Joan gave him a dimpled grin.  "Otherwise I'd be over
there ripping your clothes off."

   Sam laughed.  "Tell you what," he proposed, "why don't you take a
shower, and then we'll take a nap.  It'll be a while before Mom gets home."

   "Sounds good." Joan yawned hugely and blinked.  "I'd better be quick, or
I'll fall asleep in the shower and drown."

   While Joan showered, Sam carried his study materials up to his room and
put them on his desk.  He kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed,
relaxing.  By rights, he should be even more tired than Joan, but he
wasn't. He felt...peaceful.  Equally content to hold Joan in his arms or
make love to her, as she preferred.  Or almost equally content; he still
found her incredibly attractive.  But he was patient.  He knew she would
have sex with him any time he wanted, and enjoy it more if he didn't push
her too much.

   Joan came into his room shortly afterwards, wearing a sports bra and
panties and brushing her still-damp hair.  Putting her brush down on Sam's
night stand, she lay down next to him and gave him a quick kiss.

   "Mmmm," she sighed, as Sam put his arms around her and they nestled
together like spoons.  "That feels nice." They lay together comfortably for
a while before she added quietly, "I love you, little brother."

   Sam smiled, and kissed her hair from behind, smelling the faint scent of
her shampoo.  "I love you too, sis." The two of them drifted off to sleep.

   Sam woke later at the sound of the front door closing.  Joan lay asleep
in his arms, her face relaxed and peaceful, her breathing slow.  He
tightened his hold of her and she stirred a little in her sleep, sighing
and pressing closer against him.  He heard footsteps on the stairs, and his
mother looked in at the doorway, smiling.

   "Well, this is surprising," she said by way of greeting.

   "Hi, Mom," Sam said.  "What's surprising?"

   "You're both fully dressed," Caroline said.

   "Joan was feeling tired," Sam said.  "We took a nap."

   "Still tired," Joan said without opening her eyes.  "Hi, Mom."

   "Hi, honey." Caroline walked into the room and bent over the bed to give
Sam a deep kiss, then leaned further to give Joan a kiss as well, her
breasts brushing against Sam's side.  Joan opened her eyes as they kissed,
then laughed when her mother straightened up again.

   "Well, that's one way of waking up," Joan said with a yawn.

   Caroline was efficiently removing her clothes, laying them on the chair
by Sam's desk while her children watched with interest.  When she was nude
she walked back over and sat on the edge of the bed.

   "So, are you tired, Sam?" Caroline asked, her fingers tracing the line
of his erection through his trousers.

   "Not to speak of," Sam said.  He released Joan and settled onto his
back; Joan rolled over onto her other side so she could watch.

   "Good," Caroline said.  She unzipped his fly and efficiently removed his
trousers and shorts.  "I've been thinking about this all day.  Just lay
back and relax, honey."

   Sam sighed with pleasure as her mouth engulfed him.  Her enthusiasm for
the task was easy to see, as her head bobbed up and down his shaft, tongue
swirling vigorously.  It took only a couple of minutes for her to bring him
to a very pleasant climax.  She swallowed his cum happily, then sat up with
a look of satisfaction.

   "Huh," Joan said.  "That was pretty direct."

   "No point in beating about the bush," Caroline said calmly.  She got up
and began to dress again, while Sam readjusted his own clothing.  "Is
lasagna all right for dinner?"

   "Sounds good," Joan said.

   "That reminds me," Sam said.  "Gina is coming over after dinner to help
me study for my algebra make-up test tomorrow.  So..."

   "So, we shouldn't walk around the house naked?" Caroline finished.  "No
problem."

   Joan got up and headed for the door.  "I guess I should put something
on, then."

   Dinner passed, like any normal family meal, with the three of them
chatting about what they'd done that day.  The doorbell rang just as Sam
and Joan finished loading the dishwasher.  Sam went and opened it, to
reveal Gina standing there in her usual jeans and sweatshirt, with her book
bag lying on the ground at her feet.

   "Hey, Gina," he said, stepping aside to let her in.  "Thanks for coming
over."

   "No problem," she said.  She sounded a little nervous, and Sam
remembered her behavior that morning.

   "Are you all right?" he asked.

   Gina shook her head and gave him a smile.  "Yeah.  Yeah, I'm fine. 
Where do you want to work?"

   "Up in my room," Sam said.  "Come on."

   They passed Joan as they headed for the stairs.  She greeted Gina with a
grin.

   "Hi, Gina, how's it going?"

   "Pretty good," Gina said, sounding a little surprised.  "Thanks."

   "Cool.  Have fun, little brother." Joan walked into the living room, and
the two of them continued upstairs.

   "Is something going on with your sister?" Gina asked Sam.  "Normally she
kind of acts like we don't exist."

   "Well, she's been a bit friendlier lately," Sam understated.  "Maybe
because of my accident.  Here we go."

   Sam closed the door of his room, and the two of them settled down behind
his desk.  There wasn't a lot of room there, and Sam was aware of Gina's
arm pressing against his.  He thought that she noticed the contact as well,
but she gave little outward sign of it.

   They quickly went over the last two chapters in the book, then Gina
picked some problems for Sam to solve, unconsciously leaning against him
while she watched him work.  This was a bit distracting, but Sam
concentrated on the math.  After about two hours, Gina pushed her chair
back with a sigh and stretched.

   "Let's take a break," she suggested.  "You clearly know this stuff."

   "Okay," Sam agreed.  "Do you want something to drink?"

   "How about a coke?" Gina said.

   "Sure.  I'll go get it, wait here."

   In the kitchen, Joan was also getting a drink.  She gave Sam a wink.

   "So, you and Gina...are you gonna..?"

   "I don't know," Sam said.  "What do you think?"

   "I'd say, go for it.  She's cute, and nice.  And you need a girlfriend."

   Sam laughed.  "What about you and Mom?"

   "We'll still be here, of course.  But you can't really take either of us
out to the prom, or anything, can you?"

   Joan had a point, Sam thought, as he carried the cokes upstairs.  It
would be better if he had someone he could date publicly.  He supposed he
could try to turn Marcie or Katarina into a girlfriend, but he really
didn't know them very well, while Gina and he had been friends for years.
Would she want to, though?  He somehow didn't think he was destined for a
life of monogamy; would Gina be willing to accept that?  If she became his
girlfriend he could hardly conceal the nature of his relationship with his
mother and sister, nor would it be fair to her if he did.  Sam resolved to
play it by ear and see what developed, but not to lie to her.

   With drinks in both hands, Sam leaned against his bedroom door to shut
it.  Gina was sitting on his bed, looking at his bookcase with interest. 
At the sound of the door closing she looked up and smiled, seeming more
relaxed than before.

   "Here you go," Sam said, offering her a glass.  "Sorry there's no ice."

   "That's okay," Gina said.  She accepted the glass and sipped from it,
looking at Sam over the edge.  She was feeling more comfortable.  For days
she had felt conflicted between wanting Sam and worrying that it would ruin
their friendship.  In coming over to his house the conflict had been
intensified, every casual contact between them reminding her of how she
felt.  Finally, while Sam had been out of the room, she had decided just to
go with whatever happened, and not worry about consequences.  With that
decision, a weight seemed to have lifted from her mind.  She had always
liked Sam, and for the last couple of years had felt the stirrings of
attraction for him as well, though she had never acted on them.  But for
the last few days it had been different.  Every time she'd seen him, she
had been acutely aware of how sexy he was; thoughts of the two of them
together kept stealing into her mind at odd moments.  She thought that Sam
liked her as well, but she wasn't sure if he wanted her in that way; fear
of rejection had kept her from saying anything.

   Still, she thought, nothing ventured...

   Gina stretched, noting Sam's eyes flickering to the rise of her breasts
through her sweatshirt.  So, he did notice her.  She put her drink on the
night stand.

   "My shoulders are all kinked up from leaning over your desk," she said.
"Would you mind rubbing them a little?"

   "Sure," Sam said promptly, putting his own glass down.  "Why don't you
lie down?  Take your glasses off," he suggested.

   Gina put her glasses next to her drink and rolled over onto her stomach.
Sam's weight settled onto the bed next to her, then his fingers gently
probed the tight muscles behind her neck.  He applied more pressure, and
Gina gave an involuntary groan.

   "Ohhh, that feels good," she said with a little surprise.  "Where did
you learn to do that?"

   "Just native talent," Sam said, "and practice.  I give Mom and Joan back
rubs all the time.  Joan's always hurting something dancing."

   "Yeah, well...gymnastics..." Gina trailed off into a sigh of pleasure as
his hand moved down between her shoulder blades.  "You're really good at
this," she mumbled.

   "Thanks," Sam said.  "Why don't you let me give you a real massage?"

   "That sounds terrific," Gina said.  Sam began working his way down her
back, his fingers erasing tension as they went.  He had a very delicate
touch, but his hands were strong; he could bring pressure to bear on tight
muscles, while moving gently over sore spots.  Gina felt herself becoming
warm and limp as he relaxed her, but strangely excited as well; he was
touching her more intimately than anyone ever had, and it felt so good that
she didn't want it to stop.

   His hands reached her waist, and Gina expected him to quit, but instead
he just shifted down and began working on her legs.  Gymnastics had left
Gina's legs very muscular, but Sam seemed to have no trouble kneading the
backs of her thighs and calves, even through the thick denim of her jeans.
He unlaced her shoes, then began massaging her feet, pressing his thumbs
firmly into the arches and rubbing.  Normally Gina's feet were too
sensitive to be touched, but Sam seemed to have the knack of rubbing them
without tickling.

   Both feet done, he shifted up again, and worked on her waist and upper
buttocks.  After massaging those muscles, he stroked his hands lightly over
her rear, sending a tingle through her, then moved up again to gently rub
her neck and upper arms, drew his fingertips lightly over her scalp,
kneaded her shoulders again.

   "This would work better," Sam said, breaking the silence after nearly
half an hour without speaking, "if you took off your sweatshirt."

   "Oh..." Gina said.  "Um...Okay." She sat up, which seemed an enormous
effort at this point, and pulled the sweatshirt off over her head.  She
hesitated for a moment, then almost defiantly pulled off the t-shirt as
well.  Sam gave her an appreciative smile, and Gina felt herself blushing
as he dropped his gaze to her chest; her bra was translucent, and she knew
her nipples were visibly erect through the gauzy fabric.  She rolled back
onto her stomach and Sam started massaging again, his touch on her bare
skin even more pleasant than she had imagined.  She felt herself melting,
unable to move.  After a few minutes, Sam unhooked her bra without asking
and pulled the straps aside.  Gina didn't protest.  She felt a strange
mixture of languor and arousal, her body immobile but her pulse racing. 
Sam continued the back rub.

   "You...make me feel so good..." Gina said after a while.

   "I'm glad," Sam said without stopping.  After another minute or two he
asked, "Do you want this to go further?"

   This is it, Gina thought.  I can still say no.  But God, I don't want to
say no!

   "Yes," she managed to croak.  "Yes, I do."

   "All right, then," Sam said.  "Roll over."

   In spite of her earlier resolve, Gina hesitated for a few seconds before
complying.  Her unhooked bra had slipped off of her breasts; Sam leaned
over and removed it completely.  Gina could feel her heart pounding behind
her ribs as Sam's eyes roamed briefly over her bare torso.  A moment later
he went even further, unbuttoning her jeans and unzipping her fly.  Gina
raised her hips slightly to help him slide them off her.  She was now
nearly naked, wearing only her panties and socks.

   "You have a beautiful body," Sam said quietly.

   "Th-thank you," Gina managed to say, around a tightness in her throat.

   "Just relax," Sam said.  "This is really no different than before."

   In spite of his words, Gina felt herself tense as he put his hands on
her.  But Sam's massage quickly erased this new tension.  He rubbed her
shoulders and arms, gently worked the hard muscles of her abdomen, slid his
hands over her hips, massaged the fronts of her thighs.  His touch returned
to her feet; her removed her socks and rolled his thumbs firmly in the
arches and over the balls of her feet.

   Gina was almost completely relaxed when he finished.  She watched him
without moving as he shifted back up the bed, smiled at her, and put his
hands on her breasts.  Gina's eyes fluttered closed as he began to gently
knead them, not touching her nipples as first, but moving his fingers in
slowly converging spirals.  His hands cupped her, the tips of her breasts
pressing into his palms.  An involuntary sigh of pleasure escaped her,
intensifying into a groan as he began stroking and rolling the nipples
between his fingers, sending jolts of pleasure through her body.  Gina had
never felt so good.  She shuddered as Sam licked her, then sucked a nipple
into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it.  Her eyes opened abruptly as
his hand moved between her legs.

   "Sam..." she said, tentatively.

   He raised his head, but his hands continued their movements.  "This is
the next step," he said.  "Are you ready for it?"

   "I...yes, I am."

   "All right, then." Sam lowered his mouth to her tit again, and his
fingers slipped inside her panties to stroke her sex.  It felt so good that
Gina gasped in astonishment.  Her arms encircled him, drawing him towards
her; her hips began rocking unconsciously in response to his touch.  The
part of her mind that was still capable of rational thought wondered how
Sam had learned so much about pleasing a woman.  He clearly had more
experience than she'd realized.  But she didn't care.  She just didn't want
him to stop.

   Her orgasm, when it came, took her by surprise.  Gina had masturbated
before, but it had never felt like this.  She cried out aloud in wonder as
a shockwave of pleasure shot through her body.  It seemed to go on and on,
before finally settling down into a state of languid exhaustion.

   Sam swung his feet up onto the bed and lay beside her, holding her in
his arms and rocking her gently.  Gina relaxed into him, feeling
wonderfully warm and safe.

   "How'd you learn to do that?" she finally asked.

   "Native talent," Sam said, "and practice."

   "Huh," Gina said.  "Didn't know about the practice."

   "No," Sam agreed.  "I haven't talked about it.  Was it nice?"

   "It was a lot more than nice," Gina said.  "As if you didn't know.  I
wonder if your Mom and sister heard me?"

   "If they did, they won't care," Sam assured her.  "Trust me."

   "I do," Gina said, "more than anyone." They lay together a while longer
before she said, "But I haven't done anything for you, yet."

   "This isn't like a transaction," Sam said.  "If you don't want to do any
more, we don't have to."

   "Don't you want to?" Gina asked.

   "Of course.  I want to have sex with you.  But I don't want to rush
you."

   Gina turned her head and kissed him.  It was their first kiss, composed
of equal parts sweetness and passion.

   "You're not rushing me," she said.  "I want to."

   "All right," Sam said.  He got to his feet.  "You've got about five
minutes to change your mind; after that, it's too late."

   Gina watched him with curiosity as he undressed.  She had never seen a
naked man before.  Sam's body was slim, but fairly muscular.  His chest was
hairless, but dark hair curled around his crotch, where his cock stood
firmly erect.  Gina was a little startled by how big it was.  She wasn't
sure that it would actually fit inside her.  Sam stepped back to the side
of the bed.

   "I, I guess I should take these off," Gina said, indicating her panties.

   "Let me," Sam said.  He grasped the hem and actually tore them off,
provoking a gasp of surprise.

   "You're strong," Gina said, her voice coming huskily from her throat.

   "It's a gift," Sam agreed.  He sat on the edge of the bed.  Gina timidly
touched his penis, curling her fingers around it.

   "It's okay," Sam assured her as she hesitated.  "It feels good."

   Gina slowly stroked her hand up and down his length, feeling the small
tremor of pleasure pass through him.  Emboldened, she tried a firmer grip.
A small drop of clear fluid appeared on the tip of his cock.

   "Okay," Sam said.  Gina let go, and he lay down again beside her.  His
hand moved lightly over her back and side, then over her breasts.  He
leaned forward to kiss her again.  "We'll go a little slow."

   "I...I've never done this, you know," Gina blurted.

   "I figured.  Don't worry.  It might hurt a little at first, but not
after that.  Still sure you want to do this?"

   "I'm sure," Gina said.

   Sam kissed her again, and that was nice.  She kissed him back.  His
hands moved over her body, and she responded slowly, hesitant through
inexperience rather than lack of enthusiasm.  Sam whispered encouragingly.
They began making out more urgently.  Somehow Sam eased her over onto her
back, and her legs apart; he knelt between them, supporting his weight on
his hands and knees, dropping little kisses on her face and neck and
breasts.  The tip of his cock touched her pussy and gently rubbed there,
urging her to open to him.  He slipped very slightly inside her, then
withdrew, again, and then again.  It felt wonderful.  Gina was shivering
with the pleasure of it.  Sam pushed a little further in and there was some
resistance; he backed off a bit, slipping in and out, then paused.

   "This is it, Gina," he said.  "It will probably hurt some."

   Gina drew in a deep breath, released it.  "I'm ready.  Do it."

   Sam instantly thrust in.  There was a sharp, tearing sensation and Gina
gasped at the pain.  Sam froze, motionless, buried inside her.

   "I'll hold still until you're ready to go on," he said.

   Gina nodded, tightly, trying to get herself under control.  It had
happened.  She wasn't a virgin any more.  Part of her wanted to laugh,
another part to cry.  There was a little pain, but it was fading.  After a
while, she cleared her throat.

   "I think...you can go on, now..."

   Sam started moving again, small slow strokes.  There was a bit of an
ache, but there was pleasure, too.  It was odd, to think that he was
actually inside her.  She could feel the pressure, feel the friction
against the lips of her pussy and the tingling in her clit.  Gina started
shifting her hips, trying to match his strokes, and that felt even better.
Sam began thrusting more deeply.  The pain was hardly noticeable now,
replaced by the slowly mounting pressure in her loins.  She recognized it
now as an approaching orgasm, and felt vaguely surprised to find that she
could come a second time, so soon after her first.  Sam was crooning
endearments into her ear, his warm body touching hers everywhere.

   "You're nearly ready, aren't you, Gina?" he said, hardly seeming out of
breath.

   "Yes...oh, yes.  I'm really close," she panted.

   "Me, too.  We're going to come together."

   "Yes, please, do it...oh, God, yes!"

   Ecstasy seared through her.  Sam's body had tensed against her; she felt
his cock pulsing inside her, and knew he was coming, too.  Little shocks of
pleasure kept rippling out, leaving her weak and exhausted in the
aftermath. Sam withdrew from her, another sudden jolt, and rolled over by
her side.  Gina felt a little cold without him on her; Sam seemed to sense
this, and he managed to pull the covers over them, while gathering her into
his arms.  She pillowed his head against his shoulder, sighing.

   "I've heard that the first time is bad, sometimes," she said.  "Couldn't
prove it by me!"

   Sam laughed, and kissed her forehead.  "It was great for me, too.  I
hope you're happy?  About what happened?"

   "Yes, I am," Gina said.  "I've wanted it...you...for a long time, but
especially recently.  I would see you, and almost ache.  I'm so glad we've
finally done it.  I'll never regret it."

   Sam was silent for a while.  When he spoke again, his voice was serious.

   "There's something we need to talk about.  I'd like you to be, you know,
my regular girlfriend..." A surge of joy went through Gina at those words.
"But," he went on, "there are things you need to know about me, before you
say yes.  If you even want to say yes."

   "I do want to," Gina told him.  "I love you.  I've loved you as a
friend, for years, but it's more than that."

   "I love you, too," Sam said honestly.  "In a lot of ways.  But please,
hear me out before you agree."

   Gina yawned.  She felt incredibly relaxed, and couldn't imagine anything
he could tell her that would change how she felt about him.  But she sensed
that this was important to Sam.

   "All right, go ahead," she said.

   "Okay.  Well, ever since my accident, I've been...different."

   "Different, how?" Gina prompted.

   "In a bunch of ways...but mainly, different with women."

   Sam told her about waking in the hospital, about the low roaring sound
in his head, which he scarcely noticed anymore, about Jenny the nurse and
Laura Severson next door.  Gina listened attentively, without commenting.

   "Wow," she said after he was finished.  "And you think that something
about you was affecting them?"

   "Yes.  And not just them."

   "I see," Gina said, and then did see.  "Oh.  You mean, you think it
affected me, too."

   "Yes," Sam said.

   Gina thought about it.  "I don't know.  It's weird.  I mean, I feel the
way I feel; I don't know why I feel this way.  I do know that I was
attracted to you long before your accident.  But you're right, my feelings
became much more, well, sexual, in the last few days."

   "I think it is a little different with you, just because we did already
have a kind of relationship.  What I feel for you is deeper than for most
of the other women, I think because I loved you before.  And I think maybe
your feelings are deeper, too.  I mean, it's not just sex."

   "No," Gina agreed, hugging him.  "It's not." She thought about it. 
"From the way you say 'most of the other women,' I take it it's not just
the two you told me about."

   "No," Sam said, "not just them.  And...the way I am, now, I couldn't
promise that there wouldn't be others, because there would.  In fact, there
are."

   "Hmm." Gina frowned.  "So, when you say you want me to be your
girlfriend, you don't mean that it would be exclusive.  I'd be your main
squeeze, but you would have sex with other women."

   "Yes.  It doesn't change how I feel about you, but I'd be lying if I
said otherwise."

   "What about me?" Gina asked.  "Would I be free to have sex with other
guys?"

   "If you wanted to," Sam said.  "That would only be fair.  Do you want
to?"

   "Well, not right now!" Gina said.  "Jeez, I just had sex for the very
first time with you!  I'm not about to go hop in some other guy's bed.  But
who knows what might happen?  Would it bother you if I did?"

   "I guess, if it changed the way you felt about me, it might," Sam
admitted.  "But not otherwise."

   Gina shook her head.  "I don't know, Sam.  I feel really, really good
right now, and it's screwing up my objectivity.  Look, let me think about
it, okay?"

   "Okay," Sam said.

   "Any other revelations?" she asked him.

   "Actually, there are," he said with a grin.  "But let's get through this
one first." He kissed her.  "Why don't we sleep on it?"

   Gina suddenly sat bolt upright, the bedclothes falling to her waist. 
"Oh my God!  What time is it?"

   Sam glanced at his alarm clock.  "Don't worry, it's only ten-thirty."

   "I've got to get home," Gina said.  "My dad will freak."

   She threw back the covers, and was starting to get up when a knock came
on the door.  Gina shot Sam a look of dismay, then fled back under the
covers, pulling them up to her chin.

   Sam laughed.  "Don't worry.  Come in!" he called.

   The door opened, and Sam's mother looked in, smiling.  She didn't turn a
hair at seeing the Sam and Gina in bed together; if anything, her smile
broadened slightly.

   "Hey, you two," she said.  "I just wanted to make a suggestion.  If Gina
would like to spend the night, I can call her parents and tell them that
the study session is going late, and she'll spend the night in our guest
room.  I'll drive her home in the morning before school."

   "Thanks, Mom," Sam said.  "What do you think, Gina?"

   Gina was staring at Mrs.  Raven with astonishment.  She had never
imagined Sam's mother reacting like this; as if she wanted them to sleep
together.  Gathering her wits, she said, "Well...I guess I'd like to stay.
Thanks."

   "Okay, I'll call them." Sam's mother started to leave, then paused.  "I
think there's a spare toothbrush in the medicine cabinet.  Good night!"