There is no way my family would ever understand what's going on here. Honestly, I'm not even sure I completely understand. All I know is that I like the possibility of where things could lead.

I'm two hours away from home, in D.J.'s college town; I've been headlining the last three nights in a comedy club that just a few blocks away from her school. I go home tomorrow, and D.J. was finally able to take a break from her studies long enough to catch my act tonight.

The best part? It's mid-semester for everybody, so the rest of the family couldn't make any of my acts. D.J. and I have finally been able to get the time alone we've been waiting for.

D.J. left for school two years ago, and it didn't occur to me how much I would miss her until she came home for Thanksgiving that first year. When she left again to finish up the semester, part of me was more than slightly disappointed to watch her leave. The time she was home for Christmas wasn't long enough, and the wait for Easter weekend was entirely too long. When her second semester of college ended and D.J. was finally home for the summer, I wasn't sure I'd be able to contain my excitement. The only thing that kept me from revealing my true feeling was my friendship with Danny. It's one thing to admit to yourself that you're in love with your best friend's daughter; it's something else entirely to admit it to anyone else.

But at the end of the summer, in the midst of preparing to return to college, D.J. confided in me how much she would miss the family once she was back at school. I was torn between what I wanted to say and what D.J. needed to hear. I know I had to go with the safe response - that "we" would miss her too - but it was so hard to force myself to say those words.

That was when the fatal mistake was made - fatal for my heart, that is. As I told D.J. that we weren't looking forward to saying goodbye anymore than she was, she wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my chest. I glanced toward my bedroom door, thankful that Danny, Becky, and Jesse had taken the kids school-clothes shopping.

Hesitantly, I ran my fingers through her hair and asked her to look at me. I took one more brief look toward my door as D.J. lifted her head, and before I could change my mind, I kissed her.

At first I wasn't sure if it really happened, but suddenly I was aware of the fact that D.J. was kissing me back. I wanted so badly for it to continue, for things to go farther, but I was scared to death of the family coming home in the middle of it. I forced myself to pull away, forced myself to tell D.J. that we couldn't let it happen. I apologized for starting it in the first place, and all but begged D.J. not to mention it to Danny.

All my late night wonderings had been answered in that one moment. There was more to my feelings for D.J. than I had originally thought, and D.J. definitely felt something for me. For me to tell her that it couldn't happen…well, I'm pretty sure I broke her heart about as badly as I did my own.

Neither of us ever mentioned that "little mishap," to Danny or anyone else - including each other. Knowing how we felt about each other made D.J's visits home that second year tough. It seemed pretty clear that we both wanted something more, but because of family dynamics, it just wasn't possible. And it was so hard to normal, as if nothing had happened between us. If anybody noticed something wrong, they never mentioned it. And I know this family well enough to know that they would have.

My luck finally changed at the beginning of this school year. My agent called me in September; he'd gotten a three-night gig set up at a comedy club he'd sent my tape to. They were willing to pay my usual rate, plus a travel/hotel fee.

So here I sit, in mid-October, two hours away from home, with no one around but D.J. I had picked her up at school, and she'd ridden with me to the club. My act is over, it's long past midnight, and I need to get D.J. back to campus. But as I shift my car into reverse, she places her hand on my shoulder and asks if she can see where I've been staying.

Asking her to spend the night crosses my mind, but I bite my tongue. "Deej, I'm not sure that's a good idea. I really think that - "

She rubs her hand along my arm as she says, "C'mon, Joey, what could happen?"

Only everything that I wanted to happen last time.

Instead of turning left toward the college, I find myself turning right toward my hotel. Ten minutes later, D.J. and I are walking through the lobby and riding the elevator to the third floor. We walk down the hall to my room and I open the door, standing aside for D.J. to enter.

I follow her inside and close the door behind me. I watch silently as D.J. rummages through her purse; for what I have no idea. After a moment, I clear my throat nervously and say, "Well, this is basically it…your standard, run-of-the-mill, single hotel room. The restroom is, ahem, right through there if you need to go before I take you back to school."

I want to ask if she's ready to go, but before I can, she pulls a deck of cards from her purse and places them on the bedside table. "I'm not ready to go yet. There's a game I'd like to play first; sort of a relative of strip poker. It's a couples' game I've heard about at school."

I raise an eyebrow at the phrase "strip poker." I won't lie and say I haven't let my mind tarry over what D.J. might look like in the buff, but here she is, inviting me to end my wondering.

I know I need to decline the invitation, but instead I hear myself asking, "How do we play?"

It seems simple enough: We each draw a card and the lower card loses an article of clothing. Ties result in each of us removing something. Whoever ends up nude first removes the other's clothing.

Oh, to be the one to unclasp your bra and reveal your breasts…to run my hands along your thighs as I peel away your panties.

My hormones quickly override my better judgment as I tell D.J. to cut the deck.

She shuffles the cards and hands me half. We sit at the foot of the bed and flip over our top cards, my 9 of spades trumping her 3 of diamonds. I look on as D.J. bends down to remove her sandals.

We flip again, D.J. revealing the 5 of diamonds and I the 4 of spades. I reach down to remove my own footwear, then D.J. and I flip a third time. We each have a 4, and as I begin to unbutton my shirt, I see D.J. swiftly pull her sweater over her head to reveal a strapless bra, peach in color and very sheer.

I try so hard to focus on taking my shirt off, but I find it nearly impossible to not stare at D.J.'s full chest and her firm, flat belly. Her skin…it looks so soft and smooth. I'm dying to run my hands along her sides, to feel her warm body pressed against me.

I toss my shirt to the side, and we flip the next card in our decks; her jack of diamonds beats my 10. I stand, unbuckle my belt, and drop my jeans. I bend down to pick my pants up off the floor, and place them on the bed by my shirt. As I stand there in my Scooby-Doo boxers, I see D.J.'s eyes make their way down my chest and belly and stop at my waist.

I know what she's thinking, and even though the same thought has already crossed my mind, there's a part of me that's concerned about D.J. thinking it too.

"Deej…are you sure you wanna keep going? We haven't left much to the imagination, so maybe we should - "

"If there's so little left, why bother stopping? We might as well finish exploring, find out what we're missing."

D.J. flips over the jack of spades, and I reluctantly reveal the king of clubs. I look on as D.J. stands to remove her own pants.

She stands there in only her bra and panties, both covering incredible riches that until now I've only dreamed of seeing. I find myself anxious to continue, hoping to flip over the losing card, just so that I can reveal those riches.

We flip cards again, my 10 of spades beating her 8 of diamonds, and I watch in hormonal anticipation as D.J. reaches behind her to unhook her bra. She tosses it to the side, allowing her full round breasts to hang free.

Although it's impossible for me to tear my eyes away from the sight, I have to force myself to keep my hands off of her…to not reach out and grab the beautiful sight I'm beholding. Almost unconsciously, I lick my lips in anticipation. I feel a buzz in my groin, my penis threatening to harden.

I hear D.J. clear her throat before she says, "Last card. Loser takes all…off."

We both reach for our next card. I flip over the 7 of hearts, and D.J. reveals the 10 of clubs.

Yes…finally, I get to see D.J. in all her glory, and I'm the one that gets to reveal what's left to be seen.

D.J. and I both stand, and I place my thumbs inside the waistband of my boxers. They slide down quickly, and I step out of them, kicking them behind me. I watch D.J.'s eyes as they behold the sight of my genitals. She looks…anxious, desperate…to reach her hands out to touch me. She seems almost as hungry for my penis as I am for her breasts.

I take the short walk over to her and take hold of her polka-dotted panties. They slide easily down her thighs, and she parts her legs slightly to allow her panties to separate from her vagina. I can't help but stare at the coarse pubic hair between her legs, and my groin buzzes again.

D.J. steps out of her panties, and I toss them behind her as I stand to my full height. She wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her breasts against me, and I place my hands on her sides. She kisses me then, her tongue entering my mouth and running along my teeth. I return the kiss as I rub my hands up and down her bare sides.

At some point during our time of passionate bliss, I ask D.J. to come to bed with me, thinking that we would have a night of long overdue sex. She pulls away from momentarily, then reaches down to give my penis a tug. She bites her lip sheepishly.

"Joey…oh god, how do I say this? I'm not ready for that. I don't wanna go that far."

My heart sinks as I remove my arms from D.J.'s waist. "What do you mean, you don't wanna go that far? It was your idea to come as far as we have. We're standing in the same room, buck naked, groping each other and making out for who knows how long, after a game that you wanted to play. If you didn't want to have sex with me, what was the point of us flipping cards and stripping down to our birthday suits?"

With one hand, D.J takes my hand and places it on her breast; she uses her other hand to roll my scrotum between her fingers. My penis erects at her action, and she rubs her hand along the underside before massaging my scrotum again.

Under my hand, I feel her nipple harden, and I watch as the other hardens as well. I take the liberty of placing my other hand over it and I begin to gently squeeze her breasts under my palms.

In the midst of our massages, D.J. whispers, "I wanted to know what you looked like naked. Don't stand there and say you haven't wondered the same thing about me, because I can tell from the way you've watched me tonight that you've been curious. Next time we're alone, I swear I'll make love to you like no woman ever has."

My mind briefly wanders to the women I've slept with in the past…Patty, my old college girlfriend…Wendy, Danny's kid sister…hell, I even slept with Mrs. Caruthers a few years ago just to get her to leave me alone. But ever since I first kissed D.J., she's been the only one I've wanted to make love to. The others were amazing - even the night with Mrs. Caruthers was good - but if D.J can promise better sex than any of them, maybe the fact that she wants to leave me wanting more isn't something to be disputed.