As we stepped in, I look around. It’s not that her bedroom is a mess; it’s merely the bedroom of a little girl. Her bed has a frilly pink coverlet on it, and there are stuffed animals littered all over the place. A large dollhouse sits in one corner, and there are posters of unicorns and flowers on the walls.
“I haven’t had a chance to redecorate since I was five,” Amelia says ruefully.
We turn to stare at her.
“It’s no problem,” Ryan growls. “It doesn’t bother us. If anything, it’s endearing. We’ve known you since you were a little girl, sweetheart. This is totally fine.”
She sniffles a bit and sits on her bed. Meanwhile, I balance myself on a spindly desk chair while Ryan seats his massive form on a small padded footstool next to the bed. Deciding to speak first, I ask, “So what’s wrong, sweetheart? Is everything okay? Do you want to tell us why you’re crying?”
Shaking her head back and forth, she whispers, “You’ll think it’s stupid.”
Ryan leans forward and strokes her hand. The contrast of his big, bronzed fist with her small pale fingers is arousing in the dim light coming from her bedside lamp.
“No we won’t, baby girl. No judgment, remember? Just think of us as a living, breathing diary that can actually talk back.”
Amelia giggles a bit at his words, causing Ryan to sit back and say, “There it is. That beautiful smile that we love to see. Really, sweetheart, there’s no pressure. You can just tell us whatever you’re comfortable with sharing.”
Squaring her shoulders, Amelia takes a deep breath and looks out the window with tears in her eyes once more.
“Well, you know how I’ve been dating Roger Money?”
I squint.
“Oh yeah. Roger.”
I don’t add what Ryan and I think of him. Sure, Roger’s a big man on campus at their high school, but that’s the thing: it’s high school. There are many years of life after graduation, and Roger doesn’t seem to get it. However, I don’t want to leap to conclusions.
“What is it, sweetheart? What about Roger?”
She swallows heavily.
“Well, tonight, I found out my boyfriend was cheating on me with his soon to be stepsister.”
Ryan and I stare, flabbergasted.
“Are you shitting me?” my friend finally manages.
“He has a stepsister?” I ask, just as flummoxed.
Amelia nods, her eyes filling with tears again.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. They were having sex on his bed, and I caught them in the act. It was so wrong, and then he saw me, and then … and then …”
I can’t believe it. That disgusting little twerp has been banging another woman? Immediately, I move to cuddle Amelia on the bed.
“Sweetheart, don’t even give it a second thought,” I murmur. “He’s such a bastard. He doesn’t deserve your tears.”
She’s sobbing again as she leans against my massive chest. Ryan gets up and sits on her other side, gently stroking her curls.
“That dipshit isn’t worth this,” Ryan soothes, gently running his hand down the lovely curve of her back. “Seriously, sweetheart. You’re a thousand times better than him.”
But then, Amelia’s head jerks up and she looks at us with wild eyes.
“Yes, but you know what Roger did when he saw me standing in the doorway? He gave me the finger! It was a big FU all the way around!” she cries tearfully.
Rivulets are flowing down her cheeks in rivers now, and my heart breaks for this beautiful girl. I do what comes naturally. I don’t think, I merely act, and before either of us know it, I’ve seized Amelia’s mouth in a devastating kiss.
At first, she doesn’t move. She’s still with shock, her small hands on my wide shoulders. I use the opportunity to deepen the kiss, lightly tracing the seam of her lips before pushing into those plush depths.
Amelia breaks away with shock.
“Uncle Reese!” she cries. “What are you doing?”
My eyes darken as my grip on her tightens.
“I’m doing what I’ve wanted to do for a long time now.”
She gasps, her big breasts rising.
“But … but …”
At that moment, Ryan cuts her off. He turns her chin his way, and seizes her mouth for a kiss of his own. My friend is even dirtier than I am because one of his big hands goes to her breast, stroking a nipple until it’s stiff beneath her sweater.
“Uncle Ryan!” Amelia cries, breaking away with him. By now, the sweet girl is sitting between us on the bed. Her soft form is shaking a bit, and I watch ravenously as her bosom trembles. “What are you doing?” she asks again. “This is so wrong!”
I bend my head to press a kiss to her lips once more.
“I know, sweetheart, but we’ve wanted you for a long time.”
She kisses me back before breaking away.
“But you’re my dad’s college friends!”
Ryan lets out a low, throaty growl.