We had three days before we needed to head to Miami for a stopover on our way to Hyderabad. I switched my ticket and added another for Piper. For the moment, my account balance was fine, but if I had to purchase an extra ticket every time I had to fly, I would be in trouble in just a few short months. I got paid pretty well, but I wasn't rich. For the moment, I shelved that concern figuring that a CPS agent was bound to come knocking at some point to collect Piper and send her off to some relative or another and out of my life. That thought made me feel a little sad, something unexpected given how much this had felt like a burden when I'd first arrived to pick the girl up in Dallas.

It was as good a day as any to take Piper to Universal Studios, like I'd promised her, if only to distract the child. She'd been rather down that morning at breakfast, thinking about her mom and worrying about what was happening. We'd had no luck making contact and I doubted we were going to hear from Veronica any time soon.

So, off we went, me in a t-shirt and blue jeans, Piper wearing her signature leggings, these a tight light-blue which only enhanced her little bubble butt. Thankfully, her shirt overhung almost all the way down, leaving just the soft underside of her bottom visible below.

We rode the Despicable Me simulator which she absolutely adored, and I thought was pretty cool, as well, then watched an animal stunt show before getting some food in the Harry Potter section of the park. We both drank alcohol-free butterbeer as we walked around and explored the themed area throughout the afternoon.

I began to notice something which bothered me. Men of all ages often cast glances at Piper when they thought no one was looking. Once, when the girl bent over to tie her shoes, I saw two old men staring right at her ass. Another time, the girl was facing me and she idly pushed her fingers down between her legs to scratch herself and I swear a man passing by nearly stumbled trying to look back and watch.

I suppose I could understand. I'd been unable to keep from looking at Piper myself, though those had been a little more revealing moments, like when she danced on her pretend pole in her damp underwear in my dining room. But, there was something about Piper which was sensual. I couldn't quite put my finger on just what. Maybe it was her beautiful hair, her soft but maturing features. She was still some months or years away from puberty, I thought, but she was clearly heading into that tween phase, no longer simply a little girl, but not yet beginning to blossom into adulthood.

Of course, when she bent over in those tight, light-blue leggings, pushing out her rounded heart-shaped bottom, it was not hard to understand why men were interested in looking. Hell, I looked myself without even realizing it until she snapped upright and spun, catching my eyes drifting down in that area of her body. She grinned at me, took my hand, ignored what I'd been looking at, and headed us off to the next attraction.

We stopped to use the toilets and Piper was a little apprehensive about going into the women's side by herself. "It just feels... weird!" she told me. "Mommy always went with me when I need to pee. Please come in, Uncle Patrick!" Piper had quickly gotten good at calling me that in public.

"I can't," I replied, "women only, I'm afraid."

She glanced around as if not satisfied with my answer, then Piper pointed to an entrance further down, "What's that one?"

I looked up and saw it was a family restroom. I supposed it was okay for us to go in together, so I took her hand and went in. Piper raced to a stall and closed herself inside, and I took the one next to her, starting to unzip my pants when the girl let out a loud sigh and then I heard sound of her tinkling urine splashing down in the bowl. I paused to listen, unsure why I was so interested. I thought maybe I was just a little taken by the heat of the day and all the excitement and mostly ignored the way her pee continued to make interesting splashes in the water.

I let go my own bladder and pissed strongly, rolling my head back and breathing a similar relieved sigh. I heard giggling below and looked down to see Piper's grinning face looking back at me, "I see you peeing!"

"Hey, uh. Don't do that!" I tried to stop my flow but it was too strong to hold back. I had no choice but to try to shift my body to block so that Piper's eyes couldn't see my penis.

She pouted visibly, then said, "Oh, okay. Just foolin' around."

"I see that. Go wash up and wait for me at the sinks."

"Okay..."

She disappeared and I finished pissing, wiping my cock with toilet paper, then I found the girl washing her hands nearby. I started to do the same, then froze when I saw Piper yank the edge of her leggings forward, pushing them down slightly, then put her wet, lightly-soapy hand down inside her panties. "Piper," I whispered, "what are you doing?!"

She turned to me and looked confused, "Washing my coochie, why?"

"Err," I shook my head, looking around, thankful that the others in the bathroom were all in stalls currently, "hurry up, then!"

Piper ground her crotch on her soapy hand a moment, then she washed her fingers, drawing a clean hand back inside her panties, repeating the process two more times, then she pulled down a couple of stiff brown paper towels and dried herself before washing her hands a final time.

"Do you usually do that in public bathrooms?"

"Yeah, why?"

I shook my head, "I don't spend much time in women's restrooms, so... I've never seen anyone do that before."

"Do what?"

"Wash their... coochie... at the sink."

Piper giggled, "Mommy always told me to keep my coochie clean. She cleans hers too!"

I blinked a couple of times, heard a stall door open, two sets of feet heading our way, and I yanked a couple of towels free, dried, then took Piper's hand and led her out of the restroom.

- - -

The effect of Piper's cleaning effort was to create a dark-blue damp spot right at the point of the vee in her light-blue leggings where her thighs came together. It was small, and thankfully her overhanging shirt mostly hid it in shadow, but I noticed it and groaned to myself at the images it conjured in my mind of a similar wet spot in her panties the day before.

We decided to leave in the early evening after thoroughly exploring the Harry Potter area of the park. Piper was still excited as we caught a bus back to a spot where we could take a cab the rest of the way home, talking the whole time. She seemed much happier than she'd been since I'd picked her up, describing for me over and over the rides and shows we'd seen. It was a nice change. I knew it could be swept away in a moment if her thoughts drifted back to her mom, so I did my best to overcome my weariness and stay engaged with her sing-song running descriptions of our day.

There was no need to eat for either of us, so after getting back to my apartment, I told her to take a shower and we could watch a movie if she wanted. She did so quickly, coming out wearing just a long t-shirt, and, hopefully, panties underneath. I grabbed a pair of sweats and a soft shirt, then closed myself inside the bathroom.

My eyes froze when I saw Piper's light-blue leggings on top, turned inside out, the girl's crumpled panties still caught on one leg. I'll never know what drew me to do it, but I set my clothes aside and picked up the leggings, holding them out from me a moment. I brought them close to my nose and inhaled. At first, I detected nothing, but then I turned the leggings a bit, dumped the panties out to hang freely, and sniffed closer to where the underwear was still visibly damp.

A light, sweet scent filled my nose and I inhaled again without thinking. I couldn't believe the aroma. Piper's little genitals had been sweating against the panties all day, and there was just a hint of briny scent there, but more strongly was a delightful pungent, florally aroma which I knew immediately had come from Piper's immature privates. I should have felt guilty for what I did next, but I didn't. Instead, I sat on the toilet after yanking down my jeans, and in under sixty seconds, jerked myself while sniffing Piper's damp, fragrant panties until I shot ribbons of cum all over the shower curtain liner.

Immediately, that guilt finally rushed in and I tossed her leggings and underwear in the hamper, then did the best I could to clean up my jizz, some of which had drooled onto the tile floor below. My shower was mostly me trying to rationalize my behavior as anything other than a pedo getting kicks off the private odors of an innocent child, but I couldn't help that my cock rose again despite my best efforts, and after drying myself, I jerked off again while sniffing Piper's scents.

This time, I really felt awful, and for the moment, the thrill of inhaling the child's genital odors was no longer overpowering. I dressed and left the bathroom, being sure to cover Piper's worn clothing with my own so that future visits might not tempt me as much.

It wasn't much help to walk into the living room to see Piper sitting on the couch, knees up, backs of her feet up near her bottom, legs spread wide open as she watched something on Netflix, a clear view between her naked thighs drawing my eyes immediately.

I saw her pussy then. Really saw it. For several long seconds, she didn't notice me and kept her eyes on the television. My eyes were rather frozen on the dark-pink flesh, open slightly like a tender, blossoming flower, not a hair to be seen anywhere. That image burned into my memory from the first glimpse.

Piper saw me and seemed to realize what she was doing, slamming her legs closed and pushing her knees behind her so that the view of her genitals was no longer being offered. "Took you a long time to shower," the girl told me as if I hadn't just seen the most private flesh on her body.

"Err, yeah. Sweaty," I mumbled.

Piper's eyes moved down my body and I realized with shame that I had grown erect again from the sight of the girl's hairless vulva, and in the sweatpants, there was nothing to hide the effect. She said nothing as I shuffled onto the couch, sitting as far from the girl as possible, grabbing a pillow to cover my shameful bulge. "What... uh... what are you watching?"

Piper turned back to the television, "Cartoons."

"Ah."

"Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure."

"Can we watch Harry Potter?"

"Uh, I don't think that's on Netflix, but... I might be able to buy it..."

I flipped up Amazon on the set and quickly looked at our options. "Which one?"

"Ummm, the first one. We should start there, right? Can we watch them all together? I just love them all. Especially Hermione! She's so awesome, don't you think?"

All I could think about right then was how disgusted I was for jerking off to Piper's scents and then becoming erect again when I'd seen her reddish-pink vulva. I was desperate for anything to take my mind off of those moments. "Sure, sure... Okay, all set."

I punched the button and the movie started.

- - -

Not five minutes in, Piper looked at me and said, "Can I sit closer?"

"Hmm?" I murmured, having closed my eyes and tried to doze to chase away my perverted, taboo thoughts.

"You're all the way over there and I'm getting cold," Piper explained, inching towards me.

"There's a blanket right behind you, you know," I told her.

"Oh," The girl looked hurt and I felt bad for so obviously rejecting her. But how could I not? I'd already seen, and smelled, too much of her body to let her touch me that night. I didn't like what I might think of doing to her if she snuggled up with me.

Piper covered herself and went back to watching the movie while I hated myself a little less for not giving in to temptation.

- - -

I knew she'd slid against me as soon as I felt her head hit my shoulder. I'd fallen asleep, the movie still only halfway over when I opened my eyes. Piper's small, warm body was against mine and she'd snuggled in tight to my body. The ten-year old looked up at me with a smile, "I'm still cold."

I nodded, most of the perverse urgency diminished thanks to my brief slumber. I put an arm over her shoulder and held her loosely, then let my mind drift again.

- - -

I heard Piper snoring in my dreams and that caused me to rouse and wake slowly. It was almost three in the morning and we were still on the couch. My back was a dull throb, my arm, the one wrapped around Piper's shoulders, was pins and needles from being pinched by her head resting against it. I could feel cool wetness slowly rolling down my side, past my chest, and realized the girl was drooling as she slept. I couldn't help smiling, though. She looked so very peaceful in her sleep.

I had to move my arm, aching. Trying to untangle it caused Piper to blink awake and stare at me a moment. I suppose I was still smiling at her because her own smile brightened despite her weary expression. "Guess we fell asleep," the girl said quietly.

"Guess so. How about we go get you to bed. More comfortable."

"Mmm... I guess. I'm comfortable. You make a good pillow. A nice, warm pillow."

I chuckled, "Maybe so, but I'm not all that comfortable, myself... Sorry..."

"Okay," Piper said, throwing back the covers and stretching while she yawned. I didn't dare look down to see what might be visible as she stretched out her legs and flexed her thighs. Instead, I stood up and helped the girl to her feet. Letting her go ahead of me, I turned off the lights and joined her in the bedroom.

Piper got under the covers and I lay down on the floor. She looked at me a moment, the soft nightlight providing just enough illumination to see the girl's sleepy eyes staring at me. "Is the floor very comfortable?"

I shook my head, "Unfortunately... no."

"I can make room, you know. On the bed."

I replied, "That's okay. Really. I'll be alright." My back screamed a different opinion, but Piper couldn't hear it like I could.

"Why be down there when you could be warm and comfy with me up here?"

It was sorta hard to argue with that logic at three in the morning. But I remembered what I'd done, what I'd seen, what I'd smelled, and the thought of settling with Piper together on my double bed, which wasn't big when it was just me on it, seemed like too much to take. Still, her eyes said she hoped I'd come hold her, and I admitted to myself that it had felt really nice to hold the girl on the couch.

Slowly I knelt on the floor as Piper turned over and scooted to the other edge, holding back the blankets. I climbed in beside her, hoping against hope that nothing would make me grow erect. There was no easy way to hide it while wearing sweatpants on the narrow bed.

Piper dropped the covers and reached back to take my hand. She curled my arm around her as she scooted back against me, settling her warm little butt near my groin, my hand coming to rest somewhere near her flat chest. I groaned but ignored the sensation of Piper's warm bottom against me. I heard her sigh, "That's better, right?"

"So much better..."

"Thank you, Uncle Patrick," she said, keeping up the charade of our relationship, "today was really, really, really great."

"Yeah," I told her, "it kinda was, wasn't it? You're fun to spend the day with, Piper."

The girl giggled, "And the night, too, right?"

I felt my penis twitch, just once, but I had it under control, thankfully. "Yeah, then too."

"Night, Uncle Patrick."

"Good night, Piper. Sweet dreams."

She squeezed my arm around her and soon settled into a peaceful rhythm of shallow breaths not long before I was able to pass into sleep, as well.

- - -

It was Saturday, the day before we were to leave for Miami, and I was beginning to feel a lot of stress. Not just because I was taking Piper with me to India and all the concerns which came from that, but I had felt really ashamed of myself after twice jerking off to the ten-year old's scent and grown erect when I saw her spread open legs and the private flesh between them.

I avoided any opportunities which she might have innocently offered me for a couple of days, though I tried not to let her know I was doing so. When she practiced her routines in her panties, I made myself busy with preparations for the Hyderabad celebration, researching parade routes, party hotspots, and the important people and places I'd need to cover that week.

Piper was doing okay, I suppose. She tried her mother's number a few times but the response was always the same. We heard nothing from Veronica, and I was seriously surprised that no one had called or showed up at my apartment to collect the girl and take her to a relative or foster.

On Saturday evening, after we'd walked back from dinner at the burger shop and were sitting on the couch watching another Harry Potter movie, I asked Piper, "Do you ever see your father?" I'd avoided that subject mostly because it was obvious the man was not part of her life and likely hadn't been from the beginning.

The girl shook her head and shrugged, "Nah."

"Your mom ever tell you about him?"

"Not really."

I left it at that, not wanting to make Piper feel worse than she likely did to not know her dad at all. It seemed rather shitty of him to not be part of the girl's life, but I admitted I didn't know the circumstances under which Piper was conceived. Perhaps the father didn't even know he had a daughter, or maybe he was a colossal jerk and Piper was better off without him around. Whatever the situation, I knew it had to be tough on her at times and I figured it was better to not bring the subject up again until I could talk privately to Veronica. If I ever got that opportunity, of course.

We made a habit of sleeping in bed together, and while I hated that I had to assume positions which avoided putting my erection against her body, I did enjoy holding Piper and feeling her relax into sleep each night. She seemed to desire the contact and by twisting my hips and ensuring my penis was not against her buttocks or stomach, I kept from revealing to her that I was enjoying her contact in ways not so innocent.

Sunday arrived and we were off to the airport. Piper brought just one suitcase and I had my big travel bag along with my equipment which got checked at the counter. Piper wore a jumper, straps over her shoulders holding up the denim bottoms, a soft white blouse over her frame. I was thankful that the jumper's straps covered the spots where the young girl's nipples would probably have been dark spots visible through the nearly-sheer fabric.

The trip to Miami was long but much smoother than our flight from Dallas days earlier. Piper slept most of the way, nestled against my arm, and I reviewed my planned schedule and sent my supervisor Marilyn a synopsis. She affirmed the plans and let me know that the reimbursement from my travel and other expenses from the previous month had been deposited in my bank account. Otherwise, I tried to doze but had little success.

"So," I asked Piper once we had our checked luggage and my equipment case in Miami, "guess we're off to see your home."

She nodded, looking a little excited, "Maybe Mommy will be there!"

I cringed, doubting any such thing, but I didn't share my lack of belief in her scenario. Instead, I hailed a cab and Piper gave the driver the address, the two of us sitting silently in the back as Piper craned her neck to look out the windows.

I felt a sense of dread growing in me about what we might find at Veronica's house and what I knew would be disappointment, at best, for Piper when we found that the woman was not there. On top of that, I worried that whatever had set urgency to Veronica's flight might bring us into a dangerous situation should the place be under surveillance, legal or otherwise.

I told the cabbie to drop us off near the address at a pharmacy a block away. After paying the man, Piper and I slowly made our way down the street into the rather affluent neighborhood. I constantly scanned the approach, looking for people sitting in cars or idling too long near our destination. I saw nothing of interest, but that didn't wholly absolve me of concerns.

The house was large and sat on a lot tightly packed between other properties. It looked like a house one might expect in the suburbs around Miami, creamy-orange and white paint, neo-Spanish design, carefully manicured lawns and shrubbery and palm trees which looked like it was all still being maintained. Piper's key opened the door, and I told her to wait a moment while I went inside.

No obvious signs of anything out of sorts, I ushered Piper inside and we locked the door behind us. "Mommy?" she called out, racing from room to room but, as expected, not finding any sign that the woman had recently been in the house. I saw a pile of mail on a table and asked Piper if someone house sat while they were away. She told me that someone did come by every few days to dust and bring in mail, but otherwise, no one came in the house that she knew.

I slung my bags near the entrance and followed Piper around. The girl zipped up stairs and called to her mother again. She ducked into a room which looked like the master, but the bed was made neat, the attached bathroom was empty, and there was no sign of Veronica.

I saw Piper's shoulders slump when she appeared to accept that her mother had not come home. "Sorry, Piper," I told her, "she probably couldn't come here and still be... safe. I'm sure she's fine wherever she went."

"I guess," the ten-year old sighed, "I just thought Mommy might be here..."

"Want to grab some lunch? I know I'm getting hungry."

She shrugged, "Suppose."

Her gait was much slower as she followed me down the stairs. I checked the fridge and found little there, but I noticed a flier for a sub shop which delivered and called in an order. While we waited, Piper sat slumped at the kitchen counter, on a stool, letting her butt hang off a little bit. I didn't more than glance at the way her tight black leggings were stretched across her bottom, looking away and distracting myself by checking email on my phone.

The food arrived and I ate mine quickly. Piper picked at hers, eating little, then she told me, "Wanna swim?"

"Not right now," I told her, "but feel free."

"Well," Piper replied, "at least come out and sit while I swim..."

"Alright." The girl raced off towards the back of the house while I gathered my laptop and joined her a moment later.

I arrived just as she was about to jump in the water, Piper completely naked, her little bottom jiggling as she leapt into the air and then splashed down. I groaned audibly. When she surfaced, I said, "Piper... I thought we had a deal about you wearing clothes..."

She stuck her tongue out at me, "You said in your apartment. This is my house, so I can be naked if I want. It's how I swim!"

I dropped it, not really in the mood to argue, and part of me was not exactly angry to have seen Piper's naked backside. I ignored the rush of blood to my groin and settled at a round, metal table near the edge of the pool.

It was a good sized patio, high barriers all around so as to have privacy from the neighboring houses, half of the pool under an overhanging balcony, the other half in full sun, concrete and wooden decking broad and flat all around. A good-sized hot tub nestled in one corner, apparently turned off for the moment.

Piper pulled herself up out of the pool and my eyes were drawn to the wet, dripping flesh between the ten-year old's thighs. I saw the dark-pink genitals as if through binoculars, my vision focused there long after she saw me looking. "What?" Piper giggled.

"Huh? Oh... nothing," I replied, forcing my eyes to move away.

"You don't see many girls naked do you? Other than your magazines and some strippers."

"Ummm... no, I don't," I replied, "and even fewer of girls your age..."

Piper giggled, "I think that's funny."

"So I see."

She ran up and took my hand, trying to drag me out of the chair, "Come on, Uncle Patrick! Come swim with me!"

"I don't have my suit," I replied, "and I need to finish preparing for my assignment."

"Oh, bother," she said, a false pout on her face, "you don't need a suit. It's okay. You can be naked like me. I don't mind."

"It's weird," I protested, "you shouldn't be seeing me naked any more than I should see you." I'd managed to avoid looking down Piper's body to where her genitals still dripped water from the pool.

"Not weird," the girl said defiantly. "Besides, I saw your thingy already. Come on!"

I resisted only a few more seconds, grumbling to myself but admitting it would feel rather nice to swim. Instead of getting completely naked, I pulled off my shirt and jeans, leaving the pair of dark-blue boxer-briefs over my genitals. "That's as far as I'm going," I told her.

She shrugged, unconcerned, then ran towards the pool, flying out over the water before splashing down, her butt jiggling the whole way. I followed more slowly, sitting on the edge a moment. The water was rather warm and comfortable, so I slid down and began to pull myself out into the deeper end where Piper was kicking and splashing.

I did enjoy being in the water. I'd always found swimming pretty relaxing, and this time was no different except that a pretty, naked, ten-year old kept splashing me then swimming away. It became a game that had me chuckling a little when I was able to splash her back. Piper tried to tackle me, and since I was much larger than she, I had no trouble fending her off and properly dunking her down in the water, causing her to sputter up, laughing, seconds later.

At one point, Piper practically threw herself at me and I caught her, one of my arms passing between her legs. For just three or four seconds, the child's hairless vulva slid along my arm. I was intensely aware of what was going on, frozen, a mix of arousal and shame flooding me. I grew erect quickly, Piper's little labia sliding along my flesh. She was giggling, apparently unaware of the sexual nature of our contact, and that made me feel even worse, somehow. I tossed her away, forcing a smile onto my face, and made sure that I didn't make that mistake again.

- - -

I got out of the pool first and went to find us towels, letting myself drip dry a moment on the deck before going inside. A closet near the sliding doors held what I sought, so I brought two large ones out, drying myself then offering the other to Piper when she got out. This time, I managed to avoid seeing her naked body below her flat chest.

I kept my body facing away from the girl, my erection refusing to go down and my underwear was prominently tented. I did my best to adjust my cock so as to make it less obvious, but that just made me tingle with excitement and kept my erection pulsing in my briefs. Piper, thankfully, was oblivious to both my discomfort and my erection.

I waited until she was fully wrapped in her towel to look at her again. She really was a rather striking girl. Young, very young, for sure, but beautiful. I'd noted in Tokyo that she probably didn't need makeup, and even after swimming in the pool it was clear I was right. She was rapidly approaching maturity, I thought. My earlier assessment that Piper was probably several years away from puberty might have been wrong. There was a slight curve to her hips which suggested they'd broadened, just a little, in recent months. Her face, while that of a child, offered hints of the gentle transition which would begin to mark her as a young adult. Even her chest, flat as it was, looked, to my very inexperienced eye, more like a girl soon to begin to blossom rather than a girl years from such changes. All of that added up to me feeling guilty again for even noticing such things.

Piper rushed off to her bedroom and I grabbed some clean clothes and headed for a hall bathroom, closing myself inside. I rushed through changing out of my wet briefs, ignoring my gently-throbbing cock, and dressed myself in a pair of loose slacks which I hoped might hide any sign of my arousal that night.

Piper was back in her earlier leggings and the same hanging shirt she wore which left only a little of her covered bottom visible below. "You should got get your outfits together," I told her, "we leave early in the morning."

"Okay. Can you help me?"

"Yes," I replied, following Piper to her bedroom on the main floor. Inside, it looked like I'd expected a young girl's bedroom to be decorated. A small bed, covered with a Hello Kitty comforter, more Hello Kitty posters on the wall. A few fanciful animal photos and banners, a couple of pop bands I didn't recognize. There was a great deal of pink and orange and light green all over. But it was rather neat, actually, orderly. It didn't otherwise look like an ten-year old's messy room.

Her closet was huge, a full walk-in with space for both of us inside. The racks were filled with outfits like the ones the models wore in Tokyo. Every color imaginable, and some which almost hurt my eyes they were so brilliant. Piper pawed through one after another, explaining that she wore this one in Munich, that one in Pittsburgh, another in London. I wondered again how Veronica could afford all this.

It took an hour for Piper to settle on four outfits to take. She said she always had extras just in case something happened to one, or she didn't feel right in another, or, as happened regularly, another girl had on the same outfit. She packed them neatly in a thick garment case which rolled up and attached to her suitcase.

Leaving the closet, Piper opened a drawer of her dresser and started pulling out socks and panties. I could see dozens of pairs of underwear, some colorful and something little girls would wear. Other pairs were not so innocent, silky and slender, a few thongs, some looking like little more than strings tied together. I gulped at the thought of seeing Piper in those. She grabbed a few, not noticing my interest, and tossed them into her suitcase.

She showed me to the laundry, and I washed a small load of my clothes worn that day. I only ever brought enough to fit in my carry-on bag. Often, I needed to use hotel facilities when on the road, so I took advantage of the chance to clean that day's outfit in Piper's house.

- - -

We sat on the couch in the spacious, modern living room watching a DVD of some silly kid's show. I was growing tired, my preparations for India complete. I'd checked us into our flights already, the trip having us change planes in Madrid and then Cairo. I'd done such trips dozens of times before, but I was a little worried that this time I had an ten-year old tagging along.

I noticed Piper fidgeting next to me and looked over to see her scratching her crotch through the leggings. I asked, "Everything okay?" not really sure I wanted to even acknowledge what she was doing.

"My coochie itches."

What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Piper continued to idly scratch herself a moment, then said, "Mommy puts cream on it usually."

"Err," I stammered, "maybe she left some around the house?"

Piper got to her feet, still scratching, then shuffled off and out of sight, returning a moment later with a half-used tube in her hand. She tried to hand it to me and I shook my head, "No, no. That's not something I'm going to do, Piper. You're old enough to put it on yourself, I'm sure."

The girl frowned at me, then yanked her leggings down, panties too, and squeezed out white cream onto her fingers. I looked away briefly, but found the temptation too strong to resist.

Piper's little vulva looked a little irritated, swollen and a touch redder than usual. I hoped it was just from her scratching herself there. Carefully, the girl spread the cream onto her labia majora before swiping more of it carefully over the top part of her slit. She let out a sigh, spreading it more and scratching again. "Don't keep doing that, you'll make it worse," I told her, covering my lap with a pillow.

"But it itches!"

"Let the cream do its thing," I replied.

"But it itches!" she repeated, frowning at me, a look of modest concentration as she pulled one of her labia to one side and sliding a finger deeper in. I swear Piper's little clitoris was erect. I could see the little pale-pink protrusion pushed out from a thin, fleshy hood.

"How about go wash it. Maybe something in the pool has got you irritated. Then put the cream on again."

"Oh, alright," she muttered, not bothering to pull up her leggings as she shuffle-stepped her way into the hall bathroom nearby.

I let out a long breath, my hand snaking down to stroke my cock through my slacks. Jesus, I thought, why does seeing Piper's vulva make me horny? She's a child! But I couldn't stop feeling aroused and I continued to slowly rub my fingers along my covered shaft several moments until Piper returned. Thankfully, the girl's leggings were back covering her genitals.

"Better?" I asked.

"A little, yeah."

"Does, uh... does that happen often?"

She leapt onto the couch and leaned her head against me, face pointed towards the television. "Ummm... sometimes, I guess."

I didn't really want to know more, so I shut up and forced myself to watch the kid's show in order to make my cock finally deflate in my slacks.

- - -

Piper insisted I sleep in her room that night. Her bed, like mine, was a double, and she climbed under the covers wearing just a nightshirt. I didn't ask nor look to see if she was wearing any underwear. I kept on my slacks and shirt, not wanting to risk any untoward contact in the narrow bed, though I found the clothing less than optimal for getting comfortable.

The girl pushed back against me in the usual position, and I draped my arm over her. I heard her sigh. She whispered, "Tomorrow is gonna be fun, Uncle Patrick."

"Yeah. Mostly, we're just going to see airports tomorrow, but we'll have a good time I reckon."

I heard her smile, "I like going places with you. You're pretty cool."

I grinned, "Thanks. You are, too."

I thought she was falling asleep when her breathing began to soften and grow deep, but she whispered, "Do you like sleeping in my bed?"

"Sure... it's comfy."

"Yeah. I like it when you sleep with me."

I stirred lightly at the way she said those words, envisioning something less innocent than our current cuddling, but I said and did nothing to suggest that 'sleep with me' might have other meanings to adults. "This feels nice, Piper," I told her instead.

"Good night, Uncle Patrick," Piper said quietly.

"Good night, Piper."

"Love you," she replied.

I hesitated. Of course, it was a natural thing to say when a child felt safe and protected and comfortable with an adult, but the words, a phrase I hadn't heard from anyone in years, seemed to stick in my brain with a cozy warmth that surprised me. "Love you, Piper."

Patrick, Male, 25

	- Narrator, professional photographer

	- 5'9, beige skin, 165lbs, muted-brown bangs

Piper, Female, 10

	- Child model

	- 4'7, tanned beige skin, 90lbs, blue-green eyes, straight raven-black hair