It was Sunday morning and Em and I had just made love. The bedroom’s sliding doors facing the ocean were open, and the gauzy white curtains billowed from the breeze passing through the house. Em was sitting cross-legged on the bed as I reclined on my side facing her. She was brushing her hair, and I was content just to admire her physique. It was my rest day from swimming, and I was contemplating getting up to make us some coffee when Em’s cell phone buzzed. I saw her look at the display and answer it as if on autopilot. She pressed the button, not fully realizing she was accepting a video chat call.
“Oh, hi, Mom,” she said breezily. “I wasn’t expecting a call today.”
I froze, a cold clench gripping my gut. Kate could see Em and the surrounding room, and I dared not make any movement that might disturb the bed covers. I don’t think Em immediately recognized the danger.
From the speaker, I heard, “Hi, kiddo, sorry to call so early. Looks like you’re still in bed? And are you naked?” Kate said, her voice rising an octave.
I saw Em’s eyes widen at the realization that her mom could see her and that I was lying completely naked next to her. She shifted her body slightly so that the camera pointed more towards the billowing curtains.
“Uh, it’s not that early here,” Em replied as she pulled the sheet up to cover her nudity. “I just woke up and was enjoying the cool ocean breezes, as you can see behind me.”
“Yes, it looks lovely,” Kate replied. “But why are you naked? Have you been sleeping in the nude at your Uncle’s house?”
I saw Em swallow as she formulated a reply. “Only sometimes, Mom. It’s no big deal. Uncle Steve likes to open all the doors and windows at night, but sometimes it can be hot and sticky. So once in a while, I sleep without my nightshirt just to be more comfortable. I still have my panties on, and it’s not like anyone can see me.”
“Well, I understand,” Kate replied. “But I’m not sure it’s a proper way for a young girl to act when staying in a man’s house, even if he is your Uncle.”
“Mom!” Em said with exasperation, “I’m going to be seventeen soon, I’m not a young girl anymore. Anyway, was there a reason you called this early?”
“Stop trying to grow up so quickly,” Kate admonished. “Enjoy being young while you can. But enough of the lecture. I just called to say that I’m traveling for my job next week and won’t be easily reachable. But if you do need to call, use my work cell number, okay?”
“Sure, Mom, okay. I love you and hope you have a good trip.”
They chatted for a while and then said their goodbyes as Em hit disconnect on her phone. I saw a wave of relief pass through her at the realization of what could have happened. We both had gotten careless and needed to pay better attention. Easing myself out of bed, I left to go make the coffee we both desperately needed.
We spent a lazy day just resting and enjoying each other’s company. Em had taken to sunbathing in the nude now because she was determined to eliminate her tan lines. The stone walls surrounding the patio were high enough to shield her from any prying eyes walking the beach, but it left me with a perpetual hard-on whenever I joined her outside. I guess there are worse things in life.
That afternoon, I fired up the grill and cooked some tuna steaks for our dinner. Em made a big salad and roasted some garlic potatoes, and we had a mini-feast outside. As we ate I could see dark clouds building on the horizon and by the time we had cleaned up the rainstorm had arrived. It rained most of the night and later in bed, we were both lulled to sleep by the gurgle of rain in the gutters and the low grumble of distant thunder.
Monday:
For most of the week, Em joined me on my morning swim. She was a quick learner and could easily do four miles now. My new book was moving along well with me knocking out ten, sometimes fifteen pages a day. At this rate, I would have the first draft ready by September. Em, for her part, was doing her best to distract me. For some of my outside writing time, Emma would tan sans swimsuit and would ask me every hour or two to help her apply sunscreen. These ten-minute breaks to slather lotion over her back, legs, and sexy ass were enjoyable respites that I believe helped fuel my writing.
I would have loved to kiss her and fondle her during these breaks, but we had to keep our relationship private. While no one on the beach could see us, a few of the neighboring houses were tall enough that we’d be visible from the upper windows. Em had gotten comfortable with public nudity, but we had to be careful. At the start of her visit, I had introduced her as my niece, not knowing that the information would eventually come back to haunt us.
***
This pretty much became our weekly routine for the rest of the summer. I wrote all week while Em sunbathed, or walked the beach. She’d started jogging on the days she didn’t swim with me, determined to keep herself conditioned for school sports in the fall. She even managed to read a few books from my library on the days the weather drove us indoors. It was a wonderful summer, and I was ecstatic that Em was part of it.
Some nights or weekends we would visit the surrounding towns to experience the various dining options or to walk through the endless array of shops. Aruba has some wonderful downtown areas, and we tried to visit as many as possible. A few times we hit touristy areas to walk the boardwalks and enjoy the amusement rides. Em loved roller coasters, and she dragged me onto every single one. I hadn’t had that much fun since I was in high school.
I rented the cabin cruiser a few more times during her stay, and we visited many of the locations I had discovered when I’d first arrived. For me, the most memorable was in late August, just as our time together was coming to an end. I had saved this trip for last because it offered some unusual scenery and allowed an opportunity for us to explore. My timing was fortuitous as after nearly three months together, Em was getting a little restless and we both felt the stress of the looming separation.
It was Saturday, a few days before Em’s flight back home. We had expected Kate to be with us, but she never did break free from her work. And as much as I would have loved to see my sister, part of me was happy to have Emma all to myself for a few extra days. As before, we drove to the marina and carried our supplies to the rented cabin cruiser.
As soon as we were motoring away from the dock, Em stripped off her street clothes, revealing the last of her new bikini purchases. I had seen her in many swimsuits over the summer, some revealing, some formfitting, but all gorgeous on her. And this suit was no exception. It was a simple triangle bikini in sea foam green with knotted bows at her hips, neck, and back. The fabric had a ribbed texture and conformed perfectly to her curves. Against her dark brown tan, she looked stunning.
Today’s trip was the longest yet, requiring nearly two hours to reach the cove. I was glad we had left extra early so that we’d have plenty of time to enjoy one of our last days together. Today’s picnic basket featured some real treats, and I’d even secreted a bottle of champagne away in the cooler. I wanted to celebrate the summer and how Em had made it the best one of my life.
As we arrived, we were able to tie off close to the deserted beach. Someone long ago had sunken fat mooring posts near one end of the beach, and we anchored there. Emma and I floated the insulated coolers to the shore and I set up a big umbrella in the sand for shade. We were all set for our big adventure.
We spent the next several hours climbing rocks and walking through all sorts of unusual vegetation. I showed her a large freshwater pool formed from runoff from the higher elevations, and we swam in the clean, crystalline waters. The pool was cool, almost chilly, and felt wonderful on our sun-baked skin. But as enjoyable as it was, I still had one more site left to show her.
As we sat on the edge of the pond allowing the sun to dry us, I said, “Em, I wanted today to be special, and I hope you’re happy with the location I chose. I have one more surprise to show you before we break for lunch.”
Em was sitting with her feet in the pool, slowly moving them back and forth. Tiny wavelets radiated from her bare legs, eventually splashing against the far end of the rocky pool. She gave me a big smile and said, “This place is simply beautiful. The landscape is different and this pool is so damn clear and pretty. But honestly, just being together and having you all to myself is what I needed most.”
I pulled her close and kissed her, savoring the softness of her lips on mine. She felt good in my arms as I ran my fingers down her bare back. I was trying to imprint the feel of her in my brain so that I could remember her once I was alone again. This threatened to make the moment sad, so I pulled myself together, got up, and took her hand.
“Let’s get moving, it’s only about a half-mile to the caves.”
“Caves?” I heard her ask as we walked down the foot-worn path.
The path curved and twisted as we descended back to sea level. After about fifteen minutes, I saw the entrance and pointed it out to Em.
“See that opening?” I said. “It’s about ten feet wide, and the cave goes back about a hundred feet.”
“And other than a big dark hole, what’s there to see?” she asked, seemingly unconvinced this was going to be enjoyable.
I took her hand and guided her to the entrance. From where we stood, the cave seemed dark, just as she expected. And the floor was littered with sand and bits of seashells. Certainly, nothing that seemed inviting.
“Uh, I don’t know about this,” she said in a low voice. “Looks a little spooky. And there might be bats or God knows what else.”
“Trust me,” I replied. It’s dark in the beginning, but then changes as we get farther inside.
“Kay,” she said softly.
I led us inside, feeling the gritty shell pieces on our bare feet. Five feet inside, it was very dark, and we paused to let our eyes adjust.
“It’s hard to see from here, but in a few more feet there is a twist to the cave, and then it opens up into an astonishing space. I think you’ll love it.”
Holding her hand, we walked carefully towards the left, where I knew the cave descended and then twisted back on itself. As we rounded the bend, we stepped down into a chamber that was huge, easily fifty feet across. The ceiling towered over us and was partially open to the sky, allowing sunlight to flood the interior. Immediately the air temperature rose as we moved from shadow to light and the humidity, already high to begin with, ratcheted up a few notches.
All this was visually stunning enough, but what really caught the eye was the large pool of sunlit seawater near the center of the space. The pool was calm, though you could see the water level slightly rise and fall in synchronicity with the waves in the cove. The water's surface was about a foot below the floor of the chamber but would rise steadily on the incoming tide. Eventually, the entire floor of the chamber would be underwater, though not deep enough to be a risk.
“Holy, crap!” I heard Em exclaim. “This is beautiful! I don’t know what I was expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it. Can we swim in there?”
I laughed at her glee and said, “Yeah, we can swim. See the far side where the floor slopes down towards the pool? We can use that to get in and out.”
“Look! The water is moving, but there’s no wind in here.” She said.
“Best I can figure,” I began, “is that the bottom of the pool is open to the seawater in the cove and as the waves roll in, the surface undulates. I’ve been here enough times to see how the water level rises and falls as the tides change.”
We walked to the slope and dipped our toes in the water. It felt as warm as the cove and seemed very inviting.
“One thing to watch out for. Parts of the pool edges are a bit rough, especially at the far end. But the half where we are standing seems smooth. I guess the moving water over thousands of years has worn away most of the roughness.”
I stepped behind her and took her in my arms. I nuzzled her neck and kissed my way down to the vee between her breasts. She moaned, pressing her firm ass against my cock and massaging it.
“We can skinny-dip here,” I whispered as I untied her bikini bra.
I helped her remove her bra, and she turned to face me. With one swift motion, she pulled my trunks to my feet and I kicked them aside. My cock stuck straight out, nearly poking her belly. She took me in her warm hand as I tugged her bikini bottoms down her legs. I kissed her again and helped her kick her swimsuit aside to join mine.
