After the Fall: Close and Confined (Taboo Erotica) (Eden Harem Book 1) by Anya Merchant Page A

realized.”
    “You can say that again,” said Molly. “The earthquakes and the firestorm combined were literally enough to change the landscape of the planet. Part of it was positional luck, the region you’re in wasn’t hit as bad as a lot of other places, but structurally, your shelter must be top of the line.”
    “My husband started his own construction company after we married, back when Jack was only a little boy.” Rebecca smiled, as though recalling long lost memories. “This type of project came naturally to him, I guess. More naturally than a lot of other things did…”
    Molly looked as though something that Jack’s mom had said had peaked her interest.
    “Wait, did you say that you married Jack’s dad when he was a kid?” She paused, and raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean…?”
    “She’s my stepmom,” answered Jack.
    Molly leaned back, away from the webcam and away from the screen. It was an odd gesture in zero g, made only odder by the way she held one of her hands to her mouth, thinking intently.
    “What’s wrong?” Rebecca waved to the webcam, trying to pull the astronaut’s attention back.
    “I uh, hmmm….” Molly continued to think. It looked like something was on the tip of her tongue, and after a second she shook her head and let out a conflicted sigh.
    “Molly, what’s the problem?” asked Jack. “You can tell us.”
    Molly floated back over to the webcam and brushed a couple of loose, freeform strands of hair out of her face.
    “The two of you might want to sit down for this. I would, too, but zero g evironments aren’ exactly chair friendly.” She smiled, but her attempt at humor was lost on Jack and his mother. “Okay, so… wow, this is going to be a really hard topic to bridge.”
    “After all that we’ve been through, I think we can handle it.” Rebecca reached her hand over and squeezed her son’s shoulder. Molly continued to squirm in her skin. She bit her lower lip and then continued.
    “I’m just going to come right out and say it. I still haven’t found any other survivors. It’s just the two of you, at least so far.”
    “What about you?” Jack pointed at the screen. Molly held her arms out, as if gesturing to the space station itself.
    “I’m still in orbit, remember? I can’t even think about returning to Earth, not with the search for survivors as my priority. That works best from up here.”
    I get that much, but where is she going with this?
    Jack glanced over at his mother and was surprised to see that her face was bright red. He couldn’t remember ever seeing her blush before.
    “I think Rebecca has already figured out what I’m trying to say,” said Molly, softly. “And trust me, it’s not an easy thing to be said, especially given that it’s coming from me, someone who is essentially still a random stranger.”
    “Just say it already,” said Jack. “All of this dancing around the point is making me feel stupid.”
    “Jack… you and your mom aren’t related by blood.” Molly paused, and then continued when she saw that it still hadn’t clicked in his head. “And, well, you’re a man… and she’s a woman.”
    Wait, what? She can’t be saying what I think she’s saying… can she?
    Jack was still shaking his head when he felt his mom’s hand come to a rest on his knee. She was looking at him strangely, with a gleam in her eye that he had never seen before.
    “This is crazy…” Jack felt a strange tension settling into the room, as though he was out on a first date with a teenage girl. “There must be some other way!”
    “Well, if I can find some other people, there obviously will be. But I just want you both to be clear that it’s an ‘if’ at this point, not a ‘when’.” Molly looked at them seriously through the screen, holding herself against part of the station’s frame and emphasizing her words. “I just want to get the two of you a bit more comfortable with the idea, and with each other, if such a