Page 116 of The Neighborhood Witch

“What difference does it make?”

“Well, I don’t like it,” Hugo said, continuing to peep outside the window.

Alice sauntered over and stood behind Hugo. She wrapped her arms around him. Her hands slowly crawled over his black T-shirt.They worked their way across his chest and up his shoulders. She rubbed her hands into him a few times before coming to a rest. She placed her chin on his shoulder. She exhaled slowly, trying to entice him to do the same.

“Honey, you’re nervous,” she said. Her breath tickled as the words entered his ear.

“I’m not nervous.”

She massaged the front of his shoulders with her fingers in small, concentric circles. “You are. We agreed to keep this house so you could finally let go of your old one. Now, you’re nervous that it’s actually happening. You need to let it go.”

He brought his right hand up to his shoulder. He gave her hand a few taps before resting on top of it. He breathed in deeply. He exhaled, letting go of the sheer curtain with his other hand.

“You’re right. No, you are right. I didn’t think this day would come, and I’m freaking out.”

“Of course I’m right,” she said before kissing him on the cheek.

She slowly dragged her hands back across his chest. Her fingers lightly touched his abdomen below his ribs. They traced an invisible line around the side. Hugo closed his eyes, burning every sensual tracing into his memory. Her hands slid across his back. He arched out his chest. The sensation tickled him straight to his soul. She let go of Hugo.

Her hands hovered in the air for a moment before rushing back toward him. She slapped his butt and gave him a wink.

“Now go upstairs and finish getting dressed,” Alice said as she retreated into the living room.

Hugo turned and went upstairs. The door to their bedroom was halfway open. The door was now whole. Replaced after Galahad, who over six months prior, had charged through it. Hugo entered the room. It was dimly lit from a bedside lamp next to the canopy bed. Max was curled up in the center of the bed. Her snores filled the room. She stopped at the noise of someone entering. She raised her head to see Hugo and wiggled the tip of her tailbefore she dug her head right back into the warmth of the bed comforter.

“You snore louder than me, buddy,” Hugo said as he entered the bathroom.

He flipped on the light switch. He proceeded over to the porcelain sink and turned on the hot water, allowing it to run for a moment to heat up. He tested the water with a few swipes. He turned the other knob find the right mixture of hot and cold water.

Hugo cupped his hands, filling them with a small pool. He leaned over the sink and splashed the water on his face, working it into his beard. The water dripped down into the basin below. The steam from the hot water rose in the chilly air. He stood up and combed his beard with his fingers. He ran his wet fingers through his hair. He peered into the mirror to see his reflection to make sure his beard was perfectly groomed.

His reflection did not look back, nor was it alone. His reflection was locked in a battle of sexual conquest with Alice’s reflection. Their lips pressed against each other’s, battling for position. Their arms wrapped in a primal embrace. Their fingers tried to tear into each other’s clothes. Her nails dug into his back and dragged along his shirt. He moaned as her fingers dug deeper into his back.

Hugo knocked on the side of the mirror. “Hey! Hey, you two. Knock it off. I need your help.”

They stopped and pulled their heads away from each other. They glared at Hugo, annoyed at being interrupted.

“Go away,” Hugo’s reflection said.

“We’re busy,” Alice’s reflection added.

They turned back toward each other. They pressed their lips together, jockeying for dominance. Their tongues combated in a seductive tango, lightly touching before retreating, then charging forth once again.

“Can you take like ten seconds to let me know if I look okay?” Hugo asked.

They pulled away from each other again. They shot Hugo annoyed glances. Each tilted their head and arched an eyebrow.

“You look fine,” they each said before returning to each other.

Hugo’s reflection dragged his hands down to the small of her back. She arched her back and moaned as his hands traveled further and further down. He jolted his hands down to grab her butt. He lifted her into the air and pinned her against the bathroom wall. She wrapped her legs around his torso, squeezing tightly to hold her grip. She moved her hands to the top of his shoulders. They stopped kissing only for a moment as they repositioned their bodies.

“I love you,” his reflection said.

“I loved you first,” Alice’s reflection replied. They resumed their sexual conquest.

“Alice should really separate you two,” Hugo protested.

Alice’s reflection held up a hand and gave Hugo the finger. It was only for a moment before her hand found its way back to his reflection’s shoulder. Hugo left the bathroom and turned off the lights.

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