Page 41 of Naughty & Nice

“You’re hot,” he counters. “Jesus. Just look at you.” His eyes drop to my chest. My nipples are hard, pressing against the softfabric of my tank. My breasts are heavy, craving his touch, but I don’t do anything about it. There will be time for that, I hope.

This is only the beginning.

Wilder’s promise rings so loudly in my ear that I still.

“What’s wrong?” Hendrix asks, his grip on my hips tightening with concern.

His eyes hold mine, begging me to share.

Shame burns me up inside.

I know the outcome has been more pleasurable than I was expecting, but I’m aware that it could switch at any point.

I betrayed him that night at the party, and I betrayed him this morning out on the swing.

“Noelle,” he warns.

I desperately want to grip onto what we’ve found here and never let go. But I can’t. This little bit of heaven is already slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.

“It wasn’t just the Halloween party.”

He stills at my confession. In fact, I’m pretty sure he actually stops breathing.

Dropping my gaze, I focus on his abs.

“This morning. On the swing.”

Hendrix sucks in a deep breath as those words settle around us.

“I see. And are you planning on doing it again?”

A bitter laugh tumbles from my throat.

“Nothing about this has been planned, Rix.”

“So you don’t want this?” he asks, hurt clear in his voice.

My eyes jump to his.

“This?” I ask, gesturing between us. “Yes, I want this. I’ve always wanted this.”

His face drops, hurt darkening his eyes.

“Then why him first?”

I let out a heavy sigh. “I didn’t go out looking for him or for anyone that night. He wasn’t looking for me either; we both had masks on. It wasn’t until he followed me to the bathroom and pulled his mask off that I discovered his identity.”

“You could have stopped.”

And isn’t that the crux of the issue?

“Yeah, I could. I should have. But… I can give you all the excuses about being drunk and swept away by it all. But the truth is I could have stopped and I didn’t.”

“You knew I’d find out and it would hurt.”

“Yeah,” I agree because I can’t do anything else. “But maybe there was a part of me that thought it might help.” My confession is quiet, almost inaudible, but he hears it. “And it has.”

“That’s a dirty, risky play.”

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