Page 136 of The Very Naughty List

“Is that… the dog?” Reid looks down groggily toward the foot of the bed.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Sebastian wriggles his feet against Bruno’s side to try to get him to jump off the bed, but the dog doesn’t budge.

Nick chuckles. “I guess he’s so attached to Hailey by now that he doesn’t want to wait until morning to follow her around.”

“Aww.” I pout out my lower lip, strangely touched by the idea.

“We need a bigger bed,” Reid groans, flopping an arm over his face.

“Either that, or Nick needs to teach his dog some manners.”

Nick rolls his eyes at Sebastian. “As if he listens to me anymore. Hailey has him wrapped around her little finger.”

I grin at my successful attempts to win over the dog’s affections. Little did I know that our relationship would begin with a pair of stolen panties.

“I can’t help it if Bruno loves me the most,” I tease. “And he knows I love him too.”

Nick grunts, rolling toward me and sliding an arm beneath me as he pulls my body against his. He kisses me on the side of the face, then down my neck and around my collarbone as if he’s possessively marking his territory everywhere that his lips touch.

I start to giggle, both because it tickles and because he’s clearly feeling a little competitive with a dog.

“Are you jealous?” I ask, still laughing.

Nick’s eyes narrow playfully as he draws back to find my gaze. “Of Bruno? Never. But I’ll be happy to remind you of who you belong to anytime you need a reminder.”

I shiver in response. Ireallylike possessive Nick.

We all take a few more moments in bed, and then Nick manages to coax Bruno off the bed. The disgruntled dog shakes his head and rests his chin on the blanket, staring at me with adoring eyes, and I make sure to give him extra pets when we all get up.

It’s a bit chilly in the house, so Nick starts a fire and Reid makes a fresh pot of hot coffee that smells like hazelnut wafting from the pot.

The guys all have on low slung pajama pants and bare chests that make them look like carved Grecian sculptures as they walk around the house, comfortable and at ease. I pull one of their oversized flannels around me and borrow a thick pair of socks to keep my feet warm against the chilly floorboards.

Once the coffee has been poured and the fire in the hearth is stoked and crackling, the whole house takes on a cozy Christmas morning vibe.

When we walk into the living room together to sit by the Christmas tree and enjoy our coffee, I stop in my tracks in the doorway.

A small gasp falls from my lips, my eyes widening.

Set up right beside the sparkling lit tree is a beautiful electric keyboard. It’s something I’ve always wanted—but I’ve never mentioned that to the Cooper brothers, I’m sure of it.

My eyes dart between the lovely instrument and all three of the guys in astonishment.

“What’s that for?”

“It’s for Christmas,obviously.” Sebastian laughs and kisses me on the tip of my nose before walking into the room to sit down on the couch.

Nick takes my hand, and we follow Sebastian in.

“It’s for you, songbird. It’s our gift to you, so that you can compose songs and play music while you sing.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

I’m speechless, moved to joyful tears by both the gift and the gesture. It means so much to me that they would think to get me something as special as this.

“We want to support your music,” Reid chimes in. “You’re so fucking talented, trouble, and we want you to be able to explore that. We want to see you soar.”

Tears start to fall from the corners of my eyes as I pull them close to kiss each of them.

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