In the first installment, Tom and Lily, brother and sister, were observed by their mother having sexual intercourse. She and her husband discuss what to do about it. In this second of three parts, they confront their children with this knowledge. Tom and Lily later recall their first intercourse. Note: It is slow getting to the sex.

On Saturday morning, Derek asked Tom to go with him to the garden center. He made up a story about needing him to help load some bags of mulch for the front yard into their car. As they drove along, Tom noticed that his father wasn't going the right way.

"Dad, I think you missed the turn."

Derek at first didn't answer. Tom said, "Dad ..."

"We aren't going to Home Depot; I thought we'd go over to Lanark Recreation Center. I want to discuss something with you in private."

"Okay, what about?"

"I'll let you know when we get there." They rode the rest of the way in silence.

They parked the car and walked over to a picnic table under some trees. It was a beautiful sunny day in late spring.

Tom was worried. He hoped his father wasn't ill. "What if he's got cancer?" he thought. "I can't lose my dad!"

Sensing his son's anxiety, Derek said, "Nobody is sick, Tom. It's not anything like that. I haven't lost my job, either. It's ... well ... you're getting to be a man now and I need to treat you that way. I want to talk to you about something man to man."

Audibly breathing a sigh of relief, Tom said, "Oh, wow, you had me worried."

Derek looked at his son. He took a deep breath and said, "Tom, it has to do with you and your sister. Your mom and I know that you're having sex together."

Tom was stunned into silence. What could he say? He couldn't deny it, much as he would like to. He was scared. He didn't know what his father would do.

"Your mother and I have always tried to be open with you and Lily about sex. We wanted you to know about it, to hear about it from us and not just from kids in school and all their crude notions and misinformation."

"Yes, you have," Tom said in small voice. "Dad, I can explain ..."

Derek held up his hand to stop him in mid-sentence. "Wait, let me finish."

"Okay."

"Your mom discovered the two of you on Tuesday. She had come home early. Apparently you weren't expecting her so when she heard Lily moaning, she peeked inside the door to see if she was all right."

Derek paused.

"Actually, she expected to find Lily ... masturbating and didn't want to disturb or embarrass her if that were the case. Well, I think you know what she saw."

Tom looked down and couldn't bear to meet his father's eyes.

"I'm not trying to shame you, son. I just want to know how you feel about this. You must know that incest is wrong, that it's taboo. And, you're both underage! Do these things mean anything to you?"

Tom looked at this father. "Dad, I know all about those things. I know they're wrong. I just don't know how to explain it. Lily and I just started to see each other in a different way, I guess."

"Tom, how did this happen?" Derek asked sternly.

Tom looked uncertain as to how to explain that he came to have sex with his sister. He supposed he should just start at the beginning. He kept his head down as he recalled the evening when he first heard something unusual coming from Lily's room.

"Well, it wasn't too long ago that Lily was having trouble with girls at school. They were teasing and then bullying her because she's quiet and doesn't really mix well. They call her a nerd and worse."

Recalling that moment, Tom stopped his narrative and said, "They were so mean." He resumed his explanation.

"Anyway, one night I passed her room after brushing my teeth. I heard Lily crying. You know she never cries, so I knew something bad must have happened. I knocked on the door and asked if I could come in. She said 'Okay' and I sat on the bed and asked her to tell me what was wrong.

"Well, some girls had said she was ugly and fat and some boys started laughing at her and calling her homely and stuff so she felt humiliated because it was in front of a lot of other kids. From what she said this had been going on for some time and that day ... well, it was just too much.

"That really made me mad so I told her they were just jealous because they weren't as smart as she was. I told her that I thought she was really pretty and that I would go out with her if I weren't her brother." Tom paused.

Derek listening carefully nodded his head encouraging him to continue. "Okay ..."

"She was surprised to hear that. She really thought she was ugly; you know how girls are. So I lay down to cuddle with her for just a few minutes while we talked, you know, trying to make her feel better. She said 'thanks,' and took my hand and held it. When she did that, I felt something very different from other times I was around her.

"So, we lay together back to front. I just felt so bad for her, I started kissing her hair! She was crying and I just wanted to do something for her.

"Look, I've always thought she was just an awesome girl ... I don't understand why other people don't see it. And I hate it when she's picked on. When she told me that, I felt like punching somebody's fucking head in!"

Tom had a fierce expression on his face as he recalled his sister's pain. Then realizing what he said ...

"Oh ... sorry Dad ..."

"That's all right; I understand," Derek said. He knew that Tom had always been very protective of Lily.

"Well, I was holding her close and her body felt ... you know ... anyway, I started to get ... you know ... hard. I panicked and moved away from her. She misunderstood and asked me if she smelled bad or something ... oh, I don't know ... it was pretty confused. Anyway, she turned on the light and even though I tried to hide it, she saw my erection through my pajamas."

"How come you didn't just excuse yourself and go to your room?" Derek asked.

"I couldn't just run away from her. She was so sad ... I didn't really know what to do but I just didn't feel I could leave her right then."

"Okay ..." Derek said dubiously.

"Anyway, I apologized but she said that was all right and that she was surprised anyone could get a hard on over her. Do you believe that? I was shocked to hear that from her, for her to use those words. She knew a lot more about those things than I thought.

"So, I asked her about what she was feeling. You never think your little sister is thinking about sex but I guess she was. A lot; based on what she said to me."

"Oh ... poor Lily," Derek said, knowing where this was going. "We knew she was unhappy but we didn't know what to do." He paused. "I dunno; I guess as parents, when you see your child hurting you want to do something to help but you think you're almost automatically disqualified because you're a parent.

"I have to admit I'm glad you thought to help her. I'm sorry to get off track. You said she was thinking about sex?" Derek said.

"Yeah, she had been reading some romantic literature, you know how intellectual she can be, and she told me she had just started masturbating. I was embarrassed to hear her talk about that stuff but she was really opening up to me, not like she usually is. I thought I should let her talk." Tom shrugged his shoulders.

"Hmm ... I guess ... that's what I would have done, I suppose." Derek said quietly to his son.

"She asked me what I would do now that I was hard. I told her I would probably go to my room and rub it," Tom said somewhat embarrassed.

"Then she asked me if she could give me a hand job! She actually called it a hand job! Even though I told her it wasn't a good idea, she begged me and I felt I couldn't turn her down, that it would make things worse. I'm sorry, Dad, I know that was wrong."

"Mmm ... well ... I can see how you'd feel that way." At this point, Derek sighed and said, "Lily just seems so vulnerable even to me sometimes." He began to think that this was nothing that could have been controlled or even anticipated.

"Anyway, I let her ... do it. She was so happy that she had done it. I told her it was great and thanked her. Then she asked if I would do the same for her. I was scared but I told her that I would. I'd never seen a live girl naked before she took off her pajamas.

"I did touch her, as she asked. She told me what to do and I did it. When she was done, she put her arms around me and started to cry again. She kept saying, 'Thank you; thank you.' It broke my heart to see her like that. I also felt responsible for her then having touched her. So I kissed her on the mouth and told her I loved her. And at that moment I really did. That's how it started."

Tom looked downcast. Derek just looked down at the table.

Tom said, "The next day, I thought about what had happened. I was really embarrassed ... I mean, it was my sister! So, I started to apologize to her for everything when she stopped me cold by saying that she loved what I did to her and she wanted me to do it again that night! I told her it wasn't right and that we should never do that again.

"I expected her to start crying, but you know what she said? She said that she hurt so badly that she didn't know what she would do and that being with me was the only happiness she had in long time. After she said that, I felt I couldn't turn her away."

"Oh, boy." Derek hung his head as he said that. He thought: I'm glad that never happened to me!

Derek then said, almost as an aside, "And I suppose you were turned on by her, too? Right?"

Tom sighed. "Yeah ... I was. I'm sorry. I do think my sister is really attractive."

"Yeah ... okay. I suppose you wouldn't be human if you didn't." Despite his attempt at sounding disapproving, Derek couldn't see how Tom could do anything else given his lack of experience. He really did love Lily and was motivated by his caring for her. It just got out of hand. Lily didn't help him maintain that distance proper to a brother and sister, either.

"We just kept going farther and farther. I know I shouldn't have done it." Tom hung his head.

"Hmm ... I see. So what are you feelings for her now?"

"Dad, I know it sounds crazy but I love Lily and not like a brother. She loves me, too. We've become so close."

Derek looked out past Tom and said nothing at first.

Looking out to his left and away from Tom, Derek finally spoke. "And that's why the two of you go everywhere together, like to that mall in North L.A."

In a small voice, Tom said, "Yes, we can act like boyfriend and girlfriend there 'cause no one knows us." He raised his head. "It makes Lily very happy."

Tom looked anxiously at his father. "Now that you know, what are you and Mom going to do?"

Derek sighed. "Your mother and I talked about this for a long time. We love you both very much but what you're doing is not acceptable, to say the least; it's illegal in most places. Even if you were not brother and sister, you're both minors. There are lots of complications, as you've no doubt figured out."

Tom looked down and nodded.

"All right ... look ... We wish this hadn't happened; but since it has we don't feel that we can criticize or punish you. Maybe we're just wimps as parents but like I said, we love you both but we also respect you. We would never contemplate separating you. But you have to be careful and you can't let anyone else from know about this. It's just not socially acceptable and it's against the law."

"Really?" Tom said. He couldn't believe his father not only wasn't angry but was tolerant of his illicit relationship with his sister. "I'm sorry you found out. We didn't want to make you and Mom upset."

"How long did you think you could keep this hidden?" Derek asked.

"I don't know ... we didn't think that far ahead," Tom replied.

"Well, we'll just have to work this out. Above all be careful outside the house. C'mon, let's go home."

They strolled along the shaded, tree-lined gravel walkway to the parking lot in silence.

When they got to the car, Tom said, "Thanks for not separating us. I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble."

"It's all right, Tom; you don't have to keep apologizing. We're concerned about you two emotionally, not just physically."

Tom said, "Dad, I really do love Lily very much. I would never hurt her for anything."

"I know, son," Derek replied, "but you're both going to have to act responsibly now. For the time being, you two must keep your relationship at home, I suppose. Out in the world no one will suspect if you're careful and you'd better be very careful. After a while, though, when you're adults, it won't be so easy."

Tom listened solemnly to his father but said nothing.

Derek sighed again. "All right ... I have to say, though, that in a strange way I'm happy for you and Lily. If being together makes you both happy, then that's a good thing. I think adolescence is hard enough without all the sexual frustration and social insecurity that goes with it." He shook his head and said, "I must be crazy."

Derek thought his children were more mature than their classmates and in some ways above them. He considered he was being a snob but rejected that idea in favor of recognizing them as unique among their peers.

"You're both special. I know I feel that way because I'm your father but I think it is true anyway. I also think you don't belong in that world you inhabit. I wish we could have done more for you both."

"No, Dad, don't think that. Lily and I are happy. Now, I'm even happier knowing that you won't split us up. Lily will be happy too, once she gets over the embarrassment." Tom said, a bit sheepishly.

"Neither of you should be embarrassed about sex; not now, anyway. Well, let's go back home. Your mother was going to speak to Lily while we were out. We'll all have a lot to talk about."

Tom looked down as he said, "Yeah ... Wow ... I guess so."

Derek reached over and squeezed his son's shoulder. "Everything will be fine."

I hope! Derek said to himself as he started the car.

As Derek and Tom left, ostensibly for the garden store, Sharon stood in the living room and watched Lily watching them drive away. When Lily turned around and faced her mother, Sharon thought that the look of longing on her young face said much about what her daughter was feeling.

"Lily, please sit down. I'd like to speak to you." Lily sat on the sofa opposite her mother, who sat in an armchair.

Completely unguarded, she answered, "Sure, Mom, what is it?"

Lily was dressed in a faded, hooded sweatshirt and old jeans. She was wearing her glasses, her hair was tied back in her usual pony tail, and her feet were bare. Lily was unadorned. She wore no makeup and no jewelry except for a modest silver chain that her mother had noticed recently.

A small girl and slightly pudgy, she looked plain, almost dumpy. This was the impression no doubt, that she made at school. It would take a discerning eye to see the loveliness behind the unremarkable façade. It was something Tom apparently had noticed.

"Darling, where did you get that necklace? It's very pretty." Sharon suspected it was a gift from Tom.

"Oh ... I bought it a while ago," Lily said unconvincingly.

"Where, sweetheart? What store was it?"

Lily was a terrible liar. Though quiet, serious, and studious, she was never sullen or uncooperative with her parents, which was why she had trouble dissembling now.

"Uh ... I don't remember." Lily looked uncomfortable; a dead giveaway. Oh, you're so obvious, thought Sharon.

"Did Tom give it to you?" Sharon asked.

"Tom? Why would he give me a necklace ... it's not Christmas or my birthday?" She answered and laughed nervously.

"It looks like something a boy would give to a girl he loved." Sharon waited for the effect.

Confused and alarmed now by this comment, Lily's face fell; she started blinking her eyes rapidly.

Her mother continued.

"Tom is very thoughtful; we both know that. He is gentle and kind, too, quite unlike most boys his age. Would you say that's true?" Sharon wanted to see the look in her daughter's eyes as she answered.

Lily avoided looking directly at her mother as she said, "Yes, he's wonderful." Fearing caught out by her answer and panicking, Lily tried to quickly cover herself. "I mean ... he's a nice guy and he's nice to most everybody ... really!" she said a bit too insistently and too quickly.

"But wouldn't you say he's especially nice to you, especially loving for an older brother? Hmm ...?" Sharon would press now and force Lily to open up.

Lily looked very uncomfortable. While her mother spoke to her she shifted in her seat, crossed and uncrossed her arms. Then she twisted her hands. She took off her glasses and bit her lip. Sharon's question was making her eyes start to tear.

Before she could answer, Sharon said, "I saw you and Tom having sexual intercourse on Tuesday afternoon."

Lily put her face in her hands and started to sob.

Sharon spoke gently to her daughter. "Your dad is speaking to him about it right now I would expect." The poor thing! Sharon said to herself.

"Lily, I'm not angry with you or Tom. I am concerned, though, about the both of you."

"Don't blame Tom, Mommy. It was my fault. I forced him to make love to me; I threw myself at him ... I ... threatened ... him ...." She turned her tear-stained face pleadingly in Sharon's direction. "Please ... don't blame him ..."

"No, don't say you forced him, darling. I know that's not true. I just need to be sure he didn't force you."

Sharon hated to suggest that Tom had taken advantage of his sister as she did not believe that possible. She needed Lily to tell her, however, that it wasn't so.

"Oh, Mom; no! No! He didn't force me. No! He'd never hurt me. He loves me. And I love him," she cried.

"I didn't think so, Lily. I just wanted to hear it from you; that's all."

Lily started again to cry. Sharon stood up, walked over to the sofa, and sat next to her daughter. She put her arm around Lily, who clutched at her mother and wept into her shoulder. Sharon kissed the top of her head and stroked the side of her face.

Sharon had been distressed by her child's social isolation. Lily had no close friends and wasn't popular. Sharon thought it would work itself out as the girl got older, that she would find her own society. Sharon didn't like to pry and was concerned that any inquiries on her part would draw too much attention to Lily's pain and might make the situation worse for her.

Lily was shy and sensitive; a good child, always dutiful and conscientious. A natural introvert, she felt things very intensely. Lily did not readily reveal this side of herself to people but her mother had recognized it when she was just a little girl. There was also nothing frivolous about her. That's what made her relationship with Tom so serious and so delicate a matter for her parents.

"Lily, Lily ... darling it's all right. Nobody's died. I want you to know that I love you and I want you to know that there isn't anything you cannot tell me."

Sharon sat Lily upright. She held her daughter's face in her hands and looked into her eyes as she spoke to her.

"You're a good girl, Lily. You've never given me a moment's trouble, but this is serious, honey. You know that, don't you?"

Sniffling, her eyes red and puffy, Lily answered, "Yes, Mom; I know that. But we're careful. We use condoms."

"Yes, darling, but that's not all that I'm worried about. Have you thought of the future? You are still brother and sister. What did you think would happen?"

Lily looked blankly at her mother.

"You didn't think about it at all, did you?" Sharon said, in a flat tone.

"No, we didn't," Lily answered in a small voice, dropping her head.

Sharon shook her head and smiled sadly at Lily. They sat in silence for a moment before Lily addressed her mother.

Lifting her head and looking directly at Sharon now, the girl very quietly but precisely and firmly said, "I need him and he needs me, Mommy. I love him with all my heart. I will die without him." Lily dropped her head again.

Lily's statement broke Sharon's heart. She couldn't answer but could only look sorrowfully at her sweet child. Overwhelmed by the force of Lily's uncharacteristic show of emotion, tears had welled up in Sharon's eyes and had now begun to run down her cheeks.

Lily sat rigid, her face firmly set, and stared at the floor three feet in front of her. Sharon wiped at her eyes before speaking.

"No one's telling you to do without him," Sharon said softly and gently to Lily. She touched her daughter's arm. "We need to accommodate ourselves to this, all of us. Understand that your father and I would never separate you by force."

Lily looked up at her mother and started wiping away her tears.

This was not what she expected to hear. Lily feared the consequences of her parents' knowing about her and Tom. She was sure they would be punished and that one of them would be sent away to school, Tom most likely. Instead, her mother was seeking to really understand. She was not being censorious. (Lily was the only kid in her class that knew what the word meant and actually had used it in conversation at home.)

"It hurt me to see you unhappy. Yes, Lily, I could tell even though you never complained. I was your age, once, you know. I went through the hell of high school. I wasn't anywhere near as good as you are. If you love Tom, I know that I cannot - and would not - try to stop you. I know that it's love, Lily; I heard the two of you. I didn't mean to snoop but I heard what went on between you two."

Lily was still a bit confused now, listening intently to her mother. Instead of trying to drown Lily in all the reasons "why not," she appeared to be throwing her daughter lifelines. She was treating Lily as an adult.

"You have to grow up, now. You have to take responsibility for this affair. You must be careful in all you do; you cannot be reckless. You have to protect yourself from an unwanted pregnancy, for one thing and you must deal with the emotional side; that's at least if not more important than anything else."

"I know," Lily replied. "Tom cannot ever marry me. Right now, though, I feel so loved and cared for. When we are out where no one knows us, I pretend that we're boyfriend and girlfriend. I kiss him and hold his hand. You probably think that's stupid but I live for those moments."

"No, dear; I don't think it's stupid. I'm glad you have this, despite the problems it causes." Sharon smiled at Lily and took her hand.

"When I was a girl, I was so in love with your father. I was sixteen, not much older than you are now. I didn't think he'd ever notice me. When he told me one day that he was in love with me, my heart soared. We had sex for the first time on that day."

Lily looked startled and said, "Oh!"

"Yes, it's a story I'll tell you sometime. For now, though, just know that I understand. I want you to be careful, but I won't tell you not to have sex with Tom. Sex is one of the rarest and most beautiful of life's treasures. I would not want to live without it, nor should you, sweetheart. Maybe that makes me a bad mother, but I want you to have joy in your life. When your father enters me with his penis, I still feel joy because he loves me."

"Wow!" Lily said. "I didn't expect this from you, Mom." Lily embraced her mother, who held her close. "That's how I feel when Tom is inside me."

"If you are going to be lovers, your father and I want you two to have sex here, in our home. We'll give you privacy. When outside, be discreet above all and don't arouse people's suspicions."

"We are careful outside, Mom." Pausing, Lily then said, "Thank you for trusting me and for letting us continue. I really love him, Mom." And then, "No other parents would do this for their children." Lily kissed her mother's cheek.

"Well, darling, since you're sexually active, I want to be sure you're safe and comfortable. Are you using a lubricant?"

"No, we haven't needed any."

"If you do, you can find some in the top drawer of my dresser. It's not a bad thing to use with condoms. You want to be very wet with those because friction can cause them to break. By the way, if one does break, let me know right away. I'll take you to Dr. Sorrell for a sort of 'hormone blast,' which is a regimen of pills to prevent pregnancy."

"Okay, I didn't know that was possible," Lily said.

"I'd like you to think about going on birth control pills. Health risks are very low for women under the age of thirty-five. If you found that they changed your moods or if you started to gain weight, you could stop them. I'm assuming that Tom will be your only lover and you his so that STDs will not be an issue."

Lily put her arms around her mother and said, "Thank you for not judging me, for not thinking us bad."

"I love you both very much, dear. I would never have advised you to have sex with Tom or to fall in love with him but since you have, you should enjoy it ... discretely ... but enjoy it."

Over the next six months, Sharon and Derek were as good as their word. They gave Lily and Tom their privacy. Lily started taking birth control pills, which made everyone feel relieved.

Their parents noticed a new level of maturity on the parts of both their children. They started to take a greater interest in what their parents were doing. They wanted to know about how they paid their bills, what their hopes for the future were, and how they dealt with difficult people in the workplace. They each took on more responsibilities in keeping up the house and grounds. Lily and Tom planted flowers and trees in the backyard. After some instruction by both their parents, together they took over most of the cooking. They even washed the cars without being asked!

Tom felt free to court his sister. On one of their shopping trips, Lily had purchased a lovely black lacquer vase with a Japanese design. Tom then made a habit of buying her flowers weekly. Lily liked irises and the gladiolus. Tom would place them in her vase on a stand in her bedroom when she wasn't at home. It delighted Lily to see them when she walked into her room. She thought no one was loved the way she was by Tom.

Each evening after finishing their homework, they would quietly retire to one of their bedrooms and make love before falling asleep. No longer did they need to sneak around and love each other surreptitiously. They no longer had to part after making love to avoid detection but could now sleep close together after having sex.

One night about six months after their parents had discovered their relationship, after their love for each other was an established fact, at least at home, Lily spoke to Tom about how far they had come.

"It really is amazing when you think about it," she said to her brother. "Mom and Dad have actually accepted us."

"Yes, but deep down they wish we'd never started," he answered. "Maybe not so deep down!"

They both laughed.

"I know," she said, "but they still trust us. Even if they wish we hadn't 'found' each other and even if they hope we'll separate, they still allow us to love each other."

"Uh-huh," Tom said, "they do and that's pretty cool."

Lily was lying in Tom's arms in her bed, his arms folded across her chest, hugging her close. She had covered his hands with hers and she was smiling. Seeing her, Tom asked her why.

"I'm thinking about the first time we had intercourse," Lily said. "It was so beautiful."

"And you were so nervous and a little shy," Tom said. "Actually, we both were."

"Umm ... and you were so concerned about me. You were afraid of hurting me. That was so sweet. I was so in love with you," she said. "I still am!" Lily turned quickly to kiss him and then lay back again in his arms.

Tom kissed her hair and squeezed her gently.

"I love you, too, Lily." Tom also recalled that night as he held his sister in his arms.

Tom looked to make sure their parents had gone to bed before stepping out into the hallway. It was dark with only the moonlight to illuminate the still house. He walked past Lily's closed bedroom door and stopped at the head of the stairs leading to the living room. He looked up through the skylight at the stars. He took a deep breath and exhaled. Lily was waiting for him.

It had been two months or so since Tom and Lily began their "affair." As brother and sister, they had to be very careful not to let their parents suspect the incestuous nature of their affection for each other. After that first night when Tom heard Lily weeping alone in her room and then moved to comfort her, they started to touch, kiss, and lick each other to orgasm.

It began with Lily begging Tom to let her jerk him off and then asking him to touch her clitoris until she climaxed. At first reluctant and later remorseful, Tom soon abandoned scruple, unable to resist his dear lonely sister. He loved Lily and soon his protective affection changed into unbridled lust as well as loving tenderness for the girl. She, in turn, wanted him desperately.

Once she reached puberty, Lily began to be attracted to Tom almost unconsciously. She would ride her bike over to the park on Saturday mornings to watch him play tennis. Almost six feet tall at fifteen, dark haired, and muscularly lean, Tom was a graceful athlete. From the age of thirteen, Lily had developed a crush on her older brother.

It was like that with a lot of the girls in their high school. Tom, however, didn't seem to notice them. He was focused on his studies, his volunteer work, and his fitness regimen. He had dated a couple of girls but he was never seriously involved with them. Lily had asked him why not. He told her that they just seemed silly somehow. They seemed not to be serious about important things but were only concerned about things such as their social standing.

His disdain for what he saw as frivolity made Lily love and admire him all the more. She even fantasized about him in a sexual way. It would be nice to be kissed and held by him, she thought. I wish I wasn't his sister. Later, when Lily explored her own sexuality, her feelings for her brother became more intense and no longer platonic.

Tom, for his part, loved and admired Lily. She was sensitive and serious, two things he prized in a girl; qualities notably lacking in most of his female schoolmates. He thought she was pretty in her own way and likely to be beautiful when she was older if their mother's looks were anything to go by. Lily's social difficulties made him very protective of her. He wished he could help her more. That was why he entered her room that night when he heard her sobbing into her pillow. Lily's sadness touched him deeply, which was why his attempt at physical tenderness turned into the desire for her that had gripped him since.

Standing at the end of the hall, Tom turned around and walked softly back to Lily's bedroom door. In his right hand he clutched a condom; his penis was fully erect in anticipation: this was the night when he and his sister would have sexual intercourse for the first time.

"Lily!" he whispered as he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Yes, Tom," she answered softly. Tom gently closed the bedroom door behind him. He placed the throw from Lily's bed at the foot of the doorway to keep any light from shining into the hallway and to dampen any sound from within the room.

"Do you have it with you?" she whispered.

"Yes, Lily; I do," he answered quietly.

Lily turned her night table lamp on to its lowest setting. Tom removed his pajamas; Lily was already nude. She opened the covers and moved over to one side of the bed to make room for him. They kissed each other passionately. Lily gently grasped Tom's hard penis while Tom caressed his sister's breasts.

Making love to Lily was a very big step, one from which Tom knew he could not easily retreat. This was his little sister! Though Lily lately showed herself to be vulnerable, the result perhaps of newly becoming a woman, she was, however, no shrinking violet. He certainly was not taking advantage of her; it was almost the other way around. She was tough and determined in most things. She attacked her schoolwork, for example, with the energy and single-mindedness of a champion athlete. She brought that same focus to her illicit love affair with her older brother.

Tom moved to kiss Lily's neck as he stroked her long hair. As he softly touched her vulva, Lily gasped and threw her head back in response. She felt herself losing control. She wanted Tom and was more than ready to give herself to him.

Though an over achiever, Lily was not one dimensional. She was sensitive to the world around her, she was concerned to meet her familial responsibilities, and she cared about those she loved. And she loved Tom; that he knew. He was concerned to be gentle with her; he wanted to make her happy. He wanted her to know she was loved.

Lily felt her brother going down her body to the warm, secret, sensitive place between her legs. Oh, yes! she thought, now he's going to lick me! Tom parted his sister's thighs and kissed her vulva all over.

"You are so beautiful!" he whispered to her, as he inhaled the seashell scent of her sex. Tom began to lick the length of her labia. It was familiar to him as they had often for the last month performed oral sex on each other to orgasm. They fulfilled each other only in that way until tonight. Tonight, cunnilingus and fellatio were to be mere preludes to that act of most tender love, the consummation of their desire for each other.

Wishing to synchronize their oral ministrations, Lily said softly, "Let's do it together!" They moved into the 69 position with Tom on his back and Lily on top. She settled her wet pussy on Tom's face. He reached up and caressed her lower back and her bottom as he licked her. He was consumed with desire for Lily; he was intoxicated by the taste and smell of her.

Lily had inserted his erection into her mouth, rolling her tongue around the head and gently running her hand up and down the shaft. She wanted to be good for Tom. She wanted him to be completely satisfied by her. She wanted him to be hers.

Once they became initially intimate, they had quickly gone from touching each other to oral sex. They contented themselves with that until one evening after bringing each other off, Lily said to Tom,

"I want you to fuck me. Will you fuck me, Tom? Please?"

Tom, though not surprised was still not completely prepared for her request.

"Lily, do you mean that? It's a big step. Are you sure you want to take it with me?"

She had touched his face and replied, "Yes, I'm sure. I love you."

"Oh, Lily! I love you, too." He told her he would get a condom and when she was ready, they would have sexual intercourse together.

Lily ceased bobbing her head up and down on Tom's cock. She lifted herself off of him and whispered, "Let's do it now." She sat back as Tom reached for the condom that he had placed on her nightstand.

He looked at his darling sister in the dim light and said quietly, "Are you sure, Lily? Are you really sure?"

"Yes, Tom; I'm not afraid. I know it will hurt the first time but that's all right. Please make love to me!"

Tom got to his knees and trembling slightly opened the foil package and taking the condom out, slipped it over the head of his cock and carefully unrolled it down the length of the shaft. Lily lay on her back with her legs open, inviting him to enter her.

Positioning himself between her legs, Tom leaned forward to support his weight with his left hand as he guided his penis into his sister's wet cunt with his right. With the head inside, he lay down on top of Lily and took her face in his hands. Kissing her tenderly, he began to move slowly and insistently inside her, going a little bit deeper with each thrust.

Lily felt the pressure of the hard cock against her hymen. It's going to happen now, she thought. We're going to do it; together.

Tom could feel her tightness. He pressed forward while looking deeply into Lily eyes. He felt her give way; she felt a snap and a sting. He was buried in her to the hilt. It was done; they had become lovers in the fullest sense of the word. They were changed, utterly.

Unaware that she had been holding her breath, Lily exhaled sharply; this made them both giggle. Tom moved more rapidly in her now, building to his climax. As he was also a virgin, it did not take long. Lily held him tightly as he came inside her; for Tom and her it was a moment they would never forget.

They spoke to each other in hushed tones.

"Did I hurt you?" Tom said.

"Oh, no; it was beautiful. You are beautiful, Tom."

Lily lay in her brother's arms as they cuddled in the afterglow of their first intercourse.

"I wish I could stay the whole night with you. I don't want to leave you." Tom kissed her lips.

"Then stay; I'll set my clock for 5:00 AM if you don't mind waking up so early."

"No," Tom said, "I won't mind at all. Are you sure you want to risk it?"

"Yes, I'm very sure." Lily rolled over to face Tom. "This means so much to me."

"And to me! I still can't believe we did it." Tom hugged his sister. "I love you, Lily."

Lily wrapped her arms around her brother's neck and pressed her cheek to his.

"I love you, Tom Tanner, so much. Now, hold me close and sleep with me."

It pleased Lily to recall their first intercourse. Gilded in her memory, she thought of it often, especially now that they no longer needed to hide. Tom was asleep next to her, his breathing rhythmic, regular, and steady, like the boy himself. Steadfast, she thought. That's the word for him. He's there for me when I need him. He's always been there.