Family Ties

She scooted closer and said, “I don’t want to fight.”

“Me either.”

“I want to make you happy.”

“You do.”

“I’ll eventually do the other things, too, the things you want.”

“I know you will.”

“But I have to work up to it, okay?”

“I know.”

“In the meantime,” she said, “can we talk about something I can do to make you happy? I want to shave for you.”

“I’d like that. But I’m curious… Why this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re doing something for my sexual pleasure. Hopefully yours too. It isn’t the same as oral or full sex,” I added, “but it’s a lot more than kissing.”

“You can say that again.”

“Right. So… why? Why is this easy and the other hard?”

“I… I don’t know. It just… is.”

I nodded and didn’t press.

“I’ve always wanted to do it, if you must know. Ever since we first heard about it.”

“‘We’? Girlfriend?” I could almost feel her blush.

“Yes,” she said after a moment. “Noelani.”

“Hawaii, right?”

“Mmm hmm. We heard about girls on the swim team who’d… you know… shave. Down there.”

I’d heard similar tales from Wren. I should’ve been dating swimmers from the beginning, I thought wryly.

“We tried it and thought it was fun.”

“Fun?” I teased gently.

“Leave me alone. This is really hard to talk about. I’ve only told girls this stuff. Okay? I’m not used to a guy who… you know… doesn’t think it’s dirty or disgusting or something.”

“It isn’t dirty. Or disgusting. It’s really cool.”

She nodded at my non-apology.

“So… what happened?” I asked. “With you and Noelani.”

“You know. We… tried it out.”

“You went down on each other?” I said softly.

She nodded.

“Did you like it?” I grinned when I felt her roll her eyes. “Okay, that was a dumb question. Of course you liked it.”

“Duh.”

“So… did you keep shaving? Or just that one time?”

“No. It really itched when it grew back, but we did it again. Only a couple of times, though. It was kinda fun. It made us feel naughty and… um…

sexy.”

“That’s exactly why I like it. I like the look too, but I also like that it’s something you do for sex.”

“I know. I’ve wanted to do it for longer ever since then. But…”

“But…?”

“I guess I never had the courage.”

“You? But you’re fearless.”

“Maybe about normal stuff, but not about sex stuff. I’m a big chicken when it comes to that.”

“Says the girl who wasn’t a nudist until yesterday. Who’s in bed with her boyfriend, talking about shaving her pussy for sex.”

“Okay, maybe I’m not a complete chicken,” she admitted with a laugh.

“You’re probably a lot braver than you give yourself credit for.”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“You always make me feel good about myself,” she said warmly.

“Especially when we talk about sex.”

“You should feel good about it. It’s normal, especially between couples.

Sex is a natural part of a grown-up relationship.”

“I know that in my head, but the rest of me still thinks I’m being bad.”

“That’s okay. Baby steps.”

“Thank you.” She kissed my chest, and her hands found my erection again. “He’s still so hard.”

“Mmm hmm. He always will be, as long as you’re around.”

“There you go again, making me feel all tingly inside. And that’s a good thing, ’cause… I was really mad at you earlier. Lucky for you, I thought about it and calmed down.”

“What’d I do?”

“Believe it or not, nothing.”

I couldn’t keep the shock out of my voice. “Really?”

“No,” she laughed, “it was something I realized.”

“What?”

“Well, I figured out why your dad isn’t jealous of your mom and Susan.”

“Ah, that.”

“Mmm hmm. He’s… sleeping with both of them.”

I forgave her the euphemism.

“Well…? He is, isn’t he?”

“It depends on what time it is,” I joked. “He might be talking instead. Or getting a handjob. Or trying to convince them to have sex.”

“Ha ha. Very funny. But this is serious. He’s… doing it with both of them, isn’t he?”

“Yep.”

“Not… together?”

“What do you think?”

“Oh.”

“But that isn’t what made you mad,” I said, “is it?”

“Um… no.”

“Then what was it?”

“That you aren’t jealous of me and Wren.”

And that was the other shoe. “Ah.”

“Mmm, right. You want to have sex with both of us, don’t you? And before you say it, yes I want the truth.”

I breathed a soft laugh. “You know me so well.”

“And I’m learning more all the time.”

“Well, you’re still here, so…”

“And you’re still avoiding the question.”

“Yep, you’re right.”

“So you aren’t going to tell me?”

“I just did.”

“Wha—? Oh, I get it. So you admit it?”

“To thine own girlfriend…,” I said.

“I want to hear you say it.”

“Using my own logic against me?”

“Mmm hmm,” she said faux-sweetly.

Part of me wasn’t ready to say it out loud—I knew where it might lead, even if she didn’t—but the grown-up part knew that saying it wouldn’t change anything. Unless it did. I almost jumped when she laughed. “What?”

“You’re really nervous, aren’t you?” She laughed again, but with affection. “Mr. Big isn’t so big anymore.”

“Ah. Got it. Right. Um… no. He tends to hide when I’m preoccupied.”

“Like when Rich caught us together.”

“Then I was pissed off,” I said. “Now I’m just scared. That I might lose you.”