Page 123 of Naughty & Nice

“Me neither. I get you all to myself.”

His words send a wave of heat through me.

I am so ready to embrace this new part of our relationship.

“I’d better go before he drags me out.”

“I love you,” I say as he climbs to his feet.

“I love you too,” he says back as he pushes his feet into his sneakers.

He disappears through the front door, leaving me alone for the first time in… quite a while.

I take a moment to take stock before I get up, put another log on the fire, and then walk to the kitchen. The refrigerator is still stacked with food, but seeing as it hasn’t had power for the best part of two days, I question what is actually safe to use.

I’m busy throwing the chicken in the trash when my cell buzzes on the counter.

Assuming it’s from Hendrix because quite honestly, no one else ever messages me, I walk over to it.

Lorelei: Is everything okay? You looked a little lost earlier.

“Shit,” I hiss. I should have predicted this.

Lorelei might be Hendrix and Wilder’s big sister, but she’s just as perceptive and protective over me as well.

Noelle: Yeah, everything’s great.

My thumb hovers over the send button, and the fact I hesitate tells me that I’m sending the wrong thing.

Deleting my previous message, I go with a little more honesty.

Noelle: Yeah, I’m okay. Things have just been a little weird here.

I feel better about my amendment for about two seconds before I start typing again.

Noelle: Not bad weird. Just… intense, I guess.

Dots start bouncing immediately, and my anxiety spikes about what she’s going to say.

Lorelei: Can you talk?

I glance out the window and find Hendrix and Wilder in a fully-fledged snowball fight instead of digging out the car.

Noelle: Yeah.

Not a second later, her name lights up my screen with an incoming call.

“Hey,” I say, lifting it to my ear.

Abandoning the kitchen, I walk through the living room so I can stand at the full-length windows and watch the antics happening outside.

“What’s going on?” Lorelei asks, jumping straight into it. “Aren’t you happy with the changes between you and Rix?” The worry in her voice makes me regret the wording of my message more than I already did.

“Of course I am. I love him. I love him so much.”

“Okay, so what was I seeing on your face while we were on video call then? That wasn’t a crazy happy Noelle.”

I let out a huge sigh that she no doubt hears.

---