The weed yielded to her wrenching grasp in a shower of soil, and then landed with a thud in the canvas bag at her side. Nera wiped her brow, picked up her trowel, and sought the next victim of her aggressive gardening.

She was miffed – to say the least – that her husband had failed to notice the implicit warning in her answer of fine when he said he was going to go fishing with his buddies – again. Her mood was not improving as the day wore on, and he hadn’t so much as sent her a text message.

She checked her phone after yanking another weed from her flowers, growled, and continued her quest of vegetative extermination. Her head was beginning to pound, she was dripping with sweat, and it felt as if the sun was growing hotter every moment.

Common sense cut through her anger, and she realized she was on the verge of heat exhaustion. The weakness she felt as she tried to stand only confirmed it. Nera hurried as much as she dared to the back door, and shivered as the blissfully cool air of the house washed over her.

Two cups of water helped cool her down, and by the time she finished showering, her headache had subsided. A half an hour or so of relaxing on the couch with another glass of water chased away the last vestiges of her overheating.

Her husband returned home shortly thereafter, and she decided that the silent treatment was the best opening salvo. She let him see her, ignored his greeting, and stomped into the sun room.

It was gratifying to hear him mutter a quiet, guilty shit as she vanished from view.

She had the perfect thing to occupy her time, as the baby shower for her new niece was fast approaching. She had barely started knitting the booties and cap that were part of her gift, so she knuckled down with her needles.

Roger tried a couple of overtures as the day wore on, but she either ignored him or snapped one word answers – whichever she felt at the time best conveyed how peeved she was. After the third attempt, he finally got the hint that she was going to dress him down in her own time. He looked thoroughly cowed whenever she briefly ventured out of the room.

Completing her knitting served to lighten her mood, but she didn’t let her husband know that. She turned on the television and settled in to watch some daytime talk shows she had recorded. Caught up in the programs, she barely noticed time passing.

She was rather surprised to hear her stepson return shortly after dark. Steve was home for the summer from college, and rarely returned before the wee hours of the morning – if he returned at all. Though she strained her ears, she couldn’t hear the conversation between him and her husband.

The house quieted a while later, and a peek outside revealed neither her husband nor stepson. When she looked down the hall, she saw light streaming through the cracks of her bedroom door, and she could faintly hear the television.

Her husband was at least wise enough not to go to sleep until she confronted him – though it was nearly midnight.

Nera decided he’d had enough time to stew in his mistake, and prepared to do exactly that. When she reached for her phone, it wasn’t where she expected it to be. Confused, she looked around for a minute or two, until it dawned on her that she must have left it outside when she was gardening.

“Wonderful,” she muttered. It was sitting in the back yard getting covered in the condensing humidity of the day. As she made her way toward the back door, she consoled herself by imagining her husband listening and wondering why she was going outside at midnight.

Between a mostly full moon and the security light, she had little trouble navigating to where she’d left her phone and easily located it. She wiped it off on her top, and then turned it on. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to have suffered from the sun or moisture.

She saw a missed call and four text messages from her husband, which she ignored. She turned off her phone, slipped it into the single back pocket of her shorts, stood, and froze in shock.

Through the slightly parted curtains in front of her, she was staring at her stepson – stark naked – with his cock in hand. Though she had naturally noticed he was quite fit and handsome, seeing him in all his glory left her stunned. A shiver ran through her as she drank in the sight of his defined muscles, lightly haired chest, and impressive member.

That obviously runs in the family, she absently thought as she watched his hand pump up and down his cock.

He had one hand behind his head on the pillow, which only served to emphasize his hard, young physique. Nera’s cheeks flushed as she reached down to press her fingers against her suddenly aching sex, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Her other hand caressed her breasts, and it was all she could do not to whimper.

Steve stroked his stiff young cock faster, and he began to writhe slightly on the bed. The fingers between Nera’s legs matched him, causing her to shudder. Though she could hear nothing through the closed window, she could almost imagine him groaning as his head moved on the pillow.

The head of his cock was engorged and purple above his fist. She could see his balls rising and tightening. The tip of his erection glistened in the faint light, and she knew it had to be pre-cum welling up. She pinched her nipple and pushed her wriggling fingers even tighter against the layers of clothing separating them from her pussy.

Steve began to undulate on the bed as his hand moved at a furious pace. His head turned back and forth, and snapped forward in sharp, jerky motions. She saw his hips slowly lift, and his muscles bulge.

Nera stifled a whimper with tightly pursed lips when she saw him lurch. A thick rope of cum erupted and spattered all over his chest. He jerked his swollen member a couple of times, and a second ejaculation just as powerful as the first decorated his abdomen and pecs.

Again and again his young cock pulsed as he held it tight in his fist. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched each thick, curly, white stream dance in the air, and then settle on the dark backdrop of his body hair. Nera’s fingers dug ferociously into her needy pussy all the while.

Eventually, he ceased to spurt, even as Nera was climbing toward a peak of her own. She saw him go limp, and his hand fell away from his twitching organ. A stifled whimper squeaked in her throat as she remained torturously below the threshold of release.

Then she panicked and dropped to her knees – out of sight – when she saw him move to sit up. She quickly crawled away from the window with her face burning and her pussy aching in denial. Once a few feet away from the window, she stood up and hurried to the back door.

There, she breathed heavily and prayed with all her might that nobody – especially Steve – had seen her. She reached under the leg of her shorts and tugged her panties from between her nether lips. The seams of the crotch were wet and slimy against her skin from her juices.

A minute passed – and then two. She heard nothing but the serenade of crickets in the back yard. Her breathing slowed, and she quietly – tentatively – opened the back door. The house was quiet save for the faint sound of the television coming from her bedroom.

Nera went to the bathroom and locked the door. There she composed herself as best she was able. There was nothing she could do about her soaked panties, so she removed them, tossed them in the hamper, and wiped her pussy clean.

She could hardly hide in the bathroom for the rest of the night, so she took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and headed toward the bedroom. The moment she touched the doorknob, she heard the television shut off.

Nera was certain her face was betraying every bit of what she’d witnessed and what she’d done as she walked into the bedroom. Roger sat on the bed with his hands crossed in his lap, and a thoroughly contrite look on his face.

She crossed to her side of the bed, gathered up the charging cord for her phone, and plugged it in. Though she tried to turn, she found herself frozen in fear, and couldn’t face him.

“Honey, I’m sorry,” Roger said.

“For what?” she answered in as neutral of a tone as she could manage.

“You obviously didn’t want me to go this morning. I get that. And I never called you or anything.”

A little of the anger she’d felt at the time crept into her voice when she said, “Well, at least you finally figured it out.”

“I’m sorry.”

Nera sighed.

“Honey, I’m not the brightest man in the world. If you don’t want me to do something, just tell me. Please? I want to make it up to you.”

Nera sat down on the bed, still facing away from him. “How’s that?”

“Well... If you want to... I got us a reservation for tomorrow night at El P... El Pia...”

Nera’s eyes widened and she turned to face him while he stumbled over the name. “Il Piacere?” she asked in amazement.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

She could scarcely believe it. He hated going to fancy places. “You have to dress up nice,” she said.

He nodded and said, “Whatever you want me to wear. We can go get something new for me if you want. Something new for you too.”

She couldn’t pass up the opportunity to push for more. “And take me for a walk, and hold my hand afterwards.”

“Whatever you want. I really am sorry. I was stupid, and...”

Overwhelmed by the completely unexpected gesture, what was left of her anger drained away, to be replaced by anticipation. She scooted across the bed and pressed a finger to his lips to shush him.

“So, am I forgiven?” he asked when she moved her hand to cradle his cheek.

She nodded, but then narrowed her eyes. “As long as it never happens again. I’ll tell you straight if I don’t want you to go somewhere, but not calling or texting me... That’s on you.”

“Promise.”

Seeing him smile with a look of relief and love in his eyes caused her to shiver. It reminded her of the moment just before he had dropped to one knee and revealed an engagement ring. She leaned in and kissed him.

Though their kisses were soft and brief at first, their passions steadily heated up. Their tongues slipped over each other, and their hands began to roam. Nera was more than a little embarrassed by the vivid image of her stepson masturbating that flashed through her memory, but it also sent her ardor soaring, and she acted on it.

If her husband had any question about why she wasn’t wearing panties, he forgot about it in short order. Likewise, what she had witnessed outside Steve’s window faded in light of her lover’s touch.

Four orgasms later, she drifted off into spent slumber – nestled in his arms – and dreaming about the following night.

Down the hall, Steve cautiously lifted the pillow he’d pressed tightly over his ear. He shook his head and covered his eyes as he remembered seeing his shocked stepmother duck out of sight through the part in the curtains.

With the sounds of passion from his father’s room finally silent, he thought, You’re welcome, Dad, and tried to settle in to get some sleep.