Page 29 of Naughty & Nice

“Noelle,” I breathe.

She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth, her skin turning white where her teeth sink into the soft flesh.

Time stands still as my head and heart war.

Kiss her.

Back down. She deserves better.

Kiss her.

You’ll never know how good it could be if you don’t grow a pair and try.

I lean forward, almost convinced that I could do it. That I could show my best friend just how much I really do love her. But just a beat before I get close enough to give her a clue as to where my head is at, a loud alarm blares from behind her.

She jumps a mile and my hand drops from her face.

“What the hell?” she blurts, throwing the door open and racing inside.

Smoke billows from the kitchen, and the scent of burned fuck-knows-what fills the air.

“What are you doing?” I bark when we find Wilder standing in the middle of the disaster zone that is the kitchen.

“Cooking,” Wilder states, rolling his eyes like it’s obvious.

“I beg to differ,” I mutter, throwing the windows open in the hope of losing some smoke.

“Okay, well, I was trying.”

And right here is another reason why Wilder and I couldn’t live on opposite sides of the country. The asshole can’t cook to save his life. If it weren’t for me and Noelle, he’d live on a diet of takeout and donuts. Not the best idea for an athlete who dreams of going pro.

"Jesus Christ,” I mutter when I get a proper look at him and find his t-shirt covered in… “Is that tomato sauce?”

“Maybe,” he mumbles.

“Fucking hell. Just go and get changed, I’ll sort this out.”

“I am capable, you know,” Wilder scoffs.

“Are you, though?” Noelle quips from the doorway.

An irritated growl rumbles in Wilder’s throat as he turns to glare at Noelle.

He takes a step toward her, but she knows him well enough not to be scared. He might be big and intimidating, but not to someone who’s known him since he was in diapers.

She holds her head high and waits for his next move.

Although, it soon becomes clear that neither of us correctly predicts that.

He moves with the speed of a kick-ass football player as he swipes the tomato ketchup from the counter and squirts it in Noelle’s direction.

It lands on her cheek.

“You absolute—” Her curse is cut short when Wilder suddenly dives forward.

I’m frozen in place as he grabs her by the throat and pins her back against the wall.

My chin drops, although no words leave my mouth as he leans forward and slowly licks the sauce from her cheek.

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