Chapter 20

Between the heavy fall of snow, the thick layers of snow on the roads, and the scratching sounds of the tree on the roof of the car, it took me more than twice the time to get home as it did to get to the nursery. When I pulled in and parked behind Mom’s SUV, I finally let myself breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn’t really the drive that had made me nervous, but the combination of running into Lisa Hartwell at the nursery, and then Nigel Sparks who wanted to run his fist into me. I thought for sure, for the entire trip home, that the police would find me, and drag me off to jail on another count of assault, but I made it. Not once did I see any flashing lights, not even yellow emergency lights. I believed it to be a miracle.

I killed the engine, and pulled the keys from the ignition. Now, I had to carry the tree into the house. I already knew I could carry it, but through nearly a foot of snow? Yeah, I would need another miracle to make it without tripping.

I opened my door, and reversed the process Lisa used to tie the tree down. The tree stayed on top of the car this time, which allowed me to get my shoes and hammer out of the trunk, as well as the new skirt, and stand from the back seat. I decided to plow myself a path around to the back door where it would be easier to get in with the tree.

Mom and Alyssa were sitting on the couch, enjoying a blazing fire when I opened the sliding door. Both of them jumped. “Oh, my God!” Alyssa half-screamed. “Seth, what are you doing? Where’s the tree?”

I set everything down and nodded at the door. “Outside. I’m going back out for it.” Then I turned and went back out. I dragged my feet along my previous path, attempting to clear anything that might trip me. When I reached the car, I looked back. Mom and Alyssa stood at the corner of the house, watching me.

I thought up a quick spell to remove any scratches on Alyssa’s car, cast it, and then hoisted the tree up onto my shoulders.

I turned and made my way back to the house. I took each step carefully, watching where I stepped. Don’t ask how I missed it during my first two treks, but my foot caught on something – it felt like a water hose – and down I went.

I wasn’t hurt, but my face stung where I caught a face-full of snow. My feet were cold though not soaked, thanks to the boots. The rest of my clothes, however, were soaked. My sweater, shirt, pants, and underwear all held freezing snow, which melted enough due to my body heat, to soak in.

I got up on one knee. My pants were soaked, so there was no point in trying to avoid it. I lifted the tree, raised it over my head, and settled it on my shoulders. Snow clinging to the tree soaked into the shoulders of my sweater and shirt. Small bits of ice and very cold water dripped down the back of my collar and raced along my spine. To say I was cold would be like saying water was wet. I got to my feet, made sure I had my balance, and continued my trek to the house.

Alyssa stood at the corner of the house, waiting. “Are you okay?” she asked.

I grinned at her, my teeth chattering.

“Oh! I’ll go upstairs and start you a hot bath,” she said and darted ahead of me.

When I got around to the door, Mom was on her knees next to the stand. She already had it set up. All I had to do was lower the trunk onto the spike. I moved over next to the stand and leaned to the side, lowering the trunk. Mom helped guide the tree. We hit the spike on the first try. Then I stood the tree up and she tightened the base around the trunk.

When it was done, she looked up and said, “Now, go upstairs and get in the tub. You need to warm up.”

I nodded and made my way up. I considered stripping out of my clothes on the way, but decided against it. By the time I got to the bathroom door, my whole body shook uncontrollably.

Alyssa sat on the edge of the tub, feeling the water coming out of the spigot. She looked up when I entered.

I stood there, hugging myself and shivering. Yes, the house was warm, but I had to get out of my clothes before I could get in the tub.

Alyssa jumped up. “Here, let me help you.” Any embarrassment about undressing her little brother didn’t appear as she pulled my sweater up over my head, and then knelt to pull off the boots while I unbuttoned my shirt.

I had forgotten about my key until I pulled off my shirt. I knew if Alyssa asked about it, I would have to lie, but what would I say? I considered taking it off, but recalled how adamant Rho had been about me keeping it on at all times. If Alyssa asked about it, I would have to think of something to say.

Alyssa pulled off my socks and set them on the sink counter. They were the only clothes I owned that were dry.

I finished pulling off my shirt. Alyssa took it and dropped it on my wet sweater on the floor. She didn’t say a word about the key, but then she reached up to unbuttoned my pants. Maybe she had something else on her mind.

I froze, not from being cold, but because there were many nights when one of my girls would be on her knees opening my pants. It was never because I was cold or it was an emergency. No, the idea of a girl on her knees opening my pants left only one thing in my head.

It seemed that Alyssa was all business. She opened my pants and tugged them down off my hips. I stepped out of them and she dropped them on the pile of wet clothes we made. Then she got up to her feet and looked me over. “Don’t just stand there. Get your underwear off and get in that tub.”

I frowned at her. “With you in here?”

She glanced past me at the door, which stood open. She reached past me and closed it. Then she looked up into my eyes and said, “We’re both adults, and this is an emergency.”

Fortunately, my freezing wet underwear kept me from making an obscene circus tent. I shrugged, moved over to the tub, dropped my underwear with her behind me, and climbed into the tub.

The water was scalding hot. At least, that’s what it felt like to me. My skin cried out in pain from the sudden heat, but I lowered myself into the water anyway. It was just the opposite of diving in a cool swimming pool after being out in the heat of the summer sun all day.

My body continued to shake, and my extremities tried to cramp up. I fought to relax, to let my body adjust to the hot water without problems. In fact, I closed my eyes, gritted my chattering teeth, and focused on helping my core temperature to rise with a touch of magic. Inch by inch, I relaxed.

The water filling the tub stopped.

I looked up to find Alyssa leaning over me to turn the water knobs. She turned, making a quick sweep of me with her eyes before looking into mine. “You’re not shaking anymore. Feel better?”

I nodded but didn’t say anything.

She looked me over again.

My feet rested against the end of the tub next to the spigot, and my shoulders rested against the other end. It left my knees sticking up out of the water. Other than my head, it was the only part of me out of the water.

Alyssa drew lines along the surface of the water and lightly touched my knees. She pushed them apart, saying, “You need to submerge as much of your body as possible.”

Her eyes were locked on my knees. At least, I tried to believe that was the case.

The only way to submerge my knees was to let them fall apart and cross my ankles under the water. It would leave my genitals visible under the water, which is what I believed she hoped.

I lowered my right knee first, the one further from her. I eased my foot under the other, and shifted my hips in the water so that my left knee continued to keep me covered. I lowered my left knee over my right, on the same side of the tub, so that I lay partially on my side. I was completely submerged, but covered from her sight. Don’t ask me why I denied her this silly little thing. Part of me believed it was wrong, and that part had the loudest voice now.

Alyssa looked up at me. “You cannot possibly be comfortable like that.”

I stared back into her eyes. “I’m submerged, as you suggested.”

“Seth, you need to stay here for a while,” she said and glanced at my hips. “I don’t believe you can be comfortable for any duration.”

Unfortunately, she was right. My hip began protesting. I was sitting on my hipbone, if not the joint of my femur – my thighbone.

Alyssa grew impatient. She gently reached into the water and pulled at my left knee. I didn’t fight her. I shifted over as she pulled at my knee and settled with my knees spread, my ankles crossed, and my genitals available for her to see.

I couldn’t count the number of times my girls had gazed upon me with an expression of mild awe. It never ceased to amaze me that I impressed anyone to that degree. Usually, though, I was fully erect when my girls looked at me like that. Alyssa was only getting a part of the show.

Yet, as much as I didn’t want this to go any further, I couldn’t stop myself from looking at her too. She sat, perched on the edge of the tub, with one thigh settled along the length of the tub, and the other pulled back as a counter-balance to the way she leaned over me. Both of her hands held the side of the tub, and her upper arms forced her breasts together in an obscene bulge under her sweater dress.

Admiration of her curves had a normal response from me – not to mention the fact that I hadn’t had sex in about twenty-four hours. Nearly a record for me. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop how my body responded. Better than the way her curves affected me, was the way her eyes widened as I grew in length and girth.