Epilogue
A year later.
Arthur
“Gabriel?” I call out as we walk into his house through the side door carrying more candy than anyone should.
It’s Halloween, and for the first time, Cece has decided she wants to go out.
Gabe’s stressed as hell, so me and Alice have offered to come hand out candy while he takes her around the neighborhood.
“Weird. His truck is here,” Alice says as she starts to fill a bowl with chocolates, clearly unfazed by the lack of people in the house. We’ve been here often lately, helping Gabriel with Cece as he continues to struggle to find a nanny or even a reliable babysitter.
I’m about to reach for my phone to call him when the front door opens and then slams closed.
“Gabe?” I try again, hoping it’s him, though the door slamming seems weird for my normally cool-and-collected brother.
“Yeah,” he says a little too loudly. As he walks into the kitchen, he’s tugging at his hair. “Hey. Sorry about that. The fucking neighbor is driving me insane.”
“Maggi?” Alice asks, popping a candy into her mouth. Gabriel nods, his nostrils flaring at the mention of the woman’s name. “She’s so sweet!”
“She is the furthest thing from sweet. That woman is a menace, and she’s everywhere.
I asked her if she could tone down the scary decorations in front of her house because I didn’t want my daughter being scared.
Do you know what she said?” We both shrug, afraid to answer my now very agitated brother.
“No.” He scoffs, pulling at his hair again.
“That’s it. Just no. And when I asked her to elaborate, she said it again!
No. Because, according to her, ‘no is a full sentence, asshole.’ Those were her words.
Can you believe this shit?” He paces around the kitchen, taking a few deep breaths.
“Well, she’s not wrong,” Alice murmurs. I shoot her a sideways glance, trying not to laugh at the situation. We’ve been hearing about Gabe’s neighbor for weeks now, and she doesn’t seem to be going away.
We’re saved from further tales of the “awful” woman when the side door opens.
“Daddy, look!” Cece comes blasting in, hardly noticing us standing there. “Look what Miss Noli did today!” She’s more excited than I’ve ever seen her before, and that’s been happening more and more since this artist started volunteering at her school.
Gabriel’s face blanches, and he looks from Cece’s face to my parents, who are standing at the door, and back down to her face.
I can’t see anything, and Alice is trying to twist until she can, but she doesn’t have any luck.
I look to my dad for a hint, but he shrugs, putting his hands up in surrender.
Cece turns around to show us when her dad doesn’t react, and Alice gasps next to me, immediately breathing out a “Wow!”
My niece walks up to her with hopeful eyes, or at least I think her eyes are hopeful. It’s hard to tell with all the makeup on her face. “Do you like it, Tia Alice?” I clutch my chest because the Tia thing is new and I fucking love it.
“Oh, Cece, I love it. It looks so real! You’re like a real zombie, aren’t you?” Alice inspects her face, oohing and aahing at every new angle.
“Well, zombies don’t exist, so, no,” Cece answers in a serious tone.
“Miss Noli painted it today. I told her I wanted to look really scary, but she said that might not be a good idea at school because the little kids might get scared.” She rolls her eyes, like she’s not seven years old.
“So she stayed until after school, and V? and Vó waited while she painted my zombie face.” She points to where there’s a too-realistic scar on her normally sweet face. “Cool, right?”
“Ye—” Alice starts, then clears her throat as she takes in Gabriel’s scowl. “You should get dressed, kiddo. It’s almost time to head out.”
With that, Cece runs up the stairs. Gabriel pinches the bridge of his nose, mumbling a string of swear words, and my mother laughs.
“She loves it, filho. Let her have her fun.” Mom waves a hand in front of her like this is no big deal. I mean, it isn’t, so I’m not sure what’s up Gabe’s ass.
He huffs out a breath. “Thank you for picking her up. And feeding her dinner.”
“Anytime. Tchau, meus amores!” Mom calls out, blowing each of us a kiss as she disappears through the door they just came in from. My dad mouths an apology to Gabriel before giving us a wave and following his wife.
“Just fucking great,” Gabriel huffs.
An hour later, it’s just me and Alice in the house, taking turns answering the door as trick-or-treaters ring the bell.
The neighbor Gabriel is determined to hate, and who shares a wall with him, has been playing some spooky music and turned some colorful lights on outside.
She even has a smoke machine. It’s pretty cool, but I’m not going to tell my brother that when he gets back with Cece.
Alice has changed into her witch costume, and I’m having a very hard time keeping it together every time she bends over to toss some candy into the kids’ bags.
The black skirt she has on rides high enough to show off her toned thighs, and she has fishnet stockings on.
When she first came down, wearing her big black hat and matching lipstick, I thought she looked cute, but now?
Now I’m struggling not to turn off the lights and ignore the doorbell as I lift her skirt to find out exactly what she has on underneath.
And it’s that train of thought that has me reaching for her as soon as she shuts the door. With my chest flush against her back, I reach for the bowl and set it on the nearby table. “Arthur, what—” She gasps when I press my already hard dick against her ass. “Oh,” she breathes out.
“This fucking skirt is driving me crazy, baby. Tell me what you have on underneath.” Running my hand up her thigh, I lift her skirt higher and higher, but not high enough to answer my own question. I want to hear it from her mouth.
“Um, th-that black lacy thong you like,” she pants out, and as my hand travels up, I find that her stockings are thigh-highs, so my fingertips meet her smooth skin. Her head whips back to rest on my shoulder when I run a finger from her entrance to her clit over the already soaked material.
The doorbell rings, and she straightens as if the kids can see her through the solid wood door.
Fuck.
If it’s not my dog trying to cock block me, it’s other people’s kids? Doesn’t seem fair.
Alice
When Gabriel got back with a sleeping Cecilia in his arms, he seemed to be in a far better mood, though he did grind his teeth when a man’s booming laughter came from next door.
Arthur and I rushed out of there, both because we didn’t want to get in the middle of whatever mood Gabe’s in and because we really, really needed to get home. And naked.
He makes the twenty-minute drive in fifteen and rushes to let Luther out into his dog run while I run upstairs to wash off my black lipstick. I whip my shirt off as soon as I get into our bedroom, about to push my skirt down when his voice stops me.
“Don’t you dare.” His dark gaze is locked on my hands at my waist. “Leave that skirt on. You’re going to give me your first orgasm while you’re still wearing it.”
I whimper, and in three long strides he’s standing in front of me, his own shirt coming off in a swift, one-handed move.
He didn’t have a costume tonight. He’s saving it for the Halloween party we’re going to at Beau’s tomorrow.
His pants and underwear come off next, and then he’s standing in front of me completely naked. It’s a sight I’ll never tire of.
“Sit on the bed for me, baby.” His voice is equal parts gentle and commanding, and I waste no time doing as he says, “Bra off.” My hands move of their own accord. He kneels in front of me, pushing my knees apart. “Lay back.”
Like he did earlier, he smooths his hands along my thighs, pushing up my skirt. He hums his approval, no doubt seeing how wet I already am. Have been. The ripping sound registers at the same time as cool air hits my slick center. He tore my thong.
“Hey,” I protest. “I liked tho—oh. Oh!”
I lose all train of thought when he flicks my clit with his tongue, then sucks it into his mouth. Hard. He chuckles, and the sound with the vibrations have me nearly coming already. His answering hum as I push myself against his mouth makes me arch my back, my hands finding my hardened nipples.
“That’s it, tesouro. Play with those perfect tits and come for me.” He sucks my clit again, three times in quick succession, and I free-fall right off the cliff I’ve been on the edge of since he touched me earlier tonight.
As I’m coming down, still panting, there’s another rip as he obliterates my thong and tosses it across the room.
I groan, and he lifts me until my head lands gently on my pillow.
When he kisses me, and I taste myself on his lips, I tug on his hair, pulling him impossibly closer to me and kissing him with everything I have.
We pull away, breathless, and his eyes meet mine. “Do you want soft and slow, or hard and fast?”
“Yes,” I whimper in response as the tip of his cock meets my still-sensitive clit.
He lines himself up and thrusts inside in one slow, methodical movement that has me gasping for air. Again and again, he repeats the measured movement, eyes never leaving mine.
“I love you,” he whispers so low I almost don’t hear it. But I do. I always hear him because his I love you’s are in every touch, every kiss, every single thing he does.
“I love you,” I answer on a moan. And that’s enough for him to give me what he knows I want. He pushes in hard, keeping his thrusts long and deep, and it takes no more than a minute before I’m screaming his name, my nails digging into the skin of his shoulders.
With his eyes locked with mine, he comes on a groan so deep, I feel it in every bone in my body. Then he releases his weight onto me, letting me have all of it with his face buried in the crook of my neck, and I run my nails up and down his back.