Page 15 of Naughty & Nice

I want to say it was Hendrix, but I know better. He was too busy with the shopping. Wilder did this, and I hate that it makes me soften a little toward him.

Hendrix joins me with a bottle of beer and doesn’t hesitate to drop himself onto the couch.

“Ahhh,” he sighs as he picks his feet up and stretches his long legs out. They’d reach well over the end of the rest if he were to fully lie down. “At least he’ll be uncomfortable as fuck out here,” Hendrix mutters with a smirk before taking a pull on his beer.

“You’re mean.”

His eyes find mine. “You know the alternative,” he warns.

“Like sleeping out on the deck?” I ask with a smirk, making my best friend laugh.

“I want to say I’m surprised, but really, we should have seen something like this coming. Our plans were too perfect not to be ruined.”

The fire crackles, the scent of Christmas fills the air, and twinkling lights surround us.

Warmth and happiness spread through me, even if they are tainted with a little bit of apprehension for what the next few days might hold.

“I’d agree if we’d had a flat on the way up or run out of gas. But adding an extra person to the trip was not on my radar.”

“It’ll be fine. He’ll probably spend most of the time out looking for trouble, like he is now.”

“Is there any to find?” I ask. “The closest store is almost an hour away.”

“It’s Wilder. If anyone can find trouble, it’s him.”

Unease twists me up inside.

Wilder doesn’t need to go anywhere to find trouble. It’s right here. Right under this roof.

Hendrix studies me and I wince, hating what he might see in my expression.

“Is everything okay? You seem a little on edge.”

I force a smile onto my face. “It's just not what I was expecting. I was prepared for it just to be me and you.”

Hendrix and I live together. Sure, our house has a room for Wilder too, but he’s usually at the football house living his best life. Most of the time, it's just the two of us.. Being with him… it’s when I’m at my happiest. He’s always been my savior, my solace. My person.

What happened with Wilder all those weeks ago, it… it woke something up inside of me, I guess.

Sure, I’ve always had feelings for Hendrix. What red-blooded female wouldn’t? He’s hot and sweet. The most loyal and trustworthy friend that exists.

Almost to the point of being too good to be true.

But I’ve never really considered acting on my feelings.

How could I when doing something about it could ruin everything?

But those few minutes with Wilder made something shift…

What if it can be that good with Hendrix?

What if we’ve been withholding something from each other that we could have been indulging in all this time?

What if?—

“There’s nothing we can’t do just because Wilder is here,” Hendrix promises me, making my brain momentarily misfire.

5

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