Page 73 of Naughty & Nice

It’s not like I’ll have time for a serious relationship if I manage to live out my dream and make it to the NFL anyway. There isn’t a week that goes by where a player’s doomed relationship isn’t splashed across the internet for everyone to enjoy.

I’m not interested in that. And I certainly wouldn’t want to drag someone as sweet as Noelle into that life.

She needs a man like Hendrix. Someone who will be able to quietly give her the world, not someone like me who’ll inevitably cause her pain and heartache without even lifting a finger.

I look up and watch them interact, and my heart aches in my chest.

I’m happy for them. I am.

I really do hope they manage to get the happily-ever-after they’ve always craved with each other.

19

NOELLE

“Whoa,” I whisper when the lights flicker around us.

We’ve spent the afternoon chilling out in the cabin; I’ve been reading, and, embarrassingly, both Hendrix and Wilder have been listening.

They offered to do it as a group, but I point-blank refused. It was bad enough knowing that they were listening to the same group sex scenes that I was reading. Doing it together…

My emotions war over how I feel about it.

I want to say that I would be totally mortified.

But…

I also fear that it would be incredibly hot.

Wilder has made no secret of his ideas about us getting down and dirty together. Sure, his comments may appear to be in jest, but he’s being serious. Or at least as serious as Wilder can be.

He’s always chasing the thrill, so it’s no real surprise as to where his head has gone while we’re all stuck here.

“It said it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Hendrix says.

All afternoon we’ve been listening to the wind howl around the small cabin.

There’s something so comforting being in here all snug and warm with the fire raging while chaos reigns outside.

I may not have planned for the snow to be this bad, but this is the exact thing I wanted. To be away from reality for a few days with absolutely nothing to do.

The lights flicker again, and we all look at each other.

If Hendrix is right and this is the beginning of things getting worse, then we could be in for a fun Christmas Eve.

“Do we have candles?” I ask, trying to think if I’ve seen any emergency supplies should the worst happen.

“Uh…” Hendrix starts. “I’m not sure, but we should probably look.”

“Stop panicking,” Wilder scoffs, taking life about as seriously as he usually does. “Even if we have a blackout, it won’t last long.”

I glance at him before looking back at Hendrix. He nods, and we both climb to our feet.

“Just in case.”

“See, this is why it’s taken you guys this long to bump uglies. You always worry about the future.”

“At least we plan. If a disaster happened, we’d be somewhat prepared. You’d be?—”

---