Page 83 of Naughty & Nice

I’m hit with such a huge wave of reality, I’m not entirely sure how I remain on my feet.

Everything has changed.

Sure, that happened the night of the Halloween party.

I did this when I allowed Wilder to continue touching me.

I regretted it. Even on the drive here, on our first day, it was my biggest regret. Knowing how much it would hurt Hendrix to learn the truth. But now, suddenly, I regret nothing.

Okay, that’s a lie. There may be a tiny part of me that is regretting bailing on that situation out there in favor of... cheese.

Fucking cheese.

What was I thinking?

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Hendrix asks.

It’s pretty dark in here, with only a couple of candles and his cell illuminating the small room, but that doesn’t stop me from seeing the deep frown pinched between his brows.

“Yeah,” I say, forcing as much conviction into my tone as possible. I fail; the only thing I sound is drunk. “Help me get this together?” I ask, returning to the refrigerator for more cheese.

“Of course.”

A comfortable silence falls between us as we work side by side like we have a million times before. But while it might be relaxed, it’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room.

My breath catches and my stomach knots when footsteps float our way. It was inevitable. Wilder isn’t the kind of guy who sits around and waits for things to come to him. He’s a go-getter in a way that I know Rix wishes he was too.

The second he steps into the room, I freeze. The images from what happened out in the living room only moments ago slam into me.

My hand trembles as I try to get some crackers out.

I’ve no idea if Hendrix and Wilder can see it in the dark, or just sense it, but both of them move closer.

Wilder’s hot breath washes down my neck as he steps up behind me, and a violent shiver races down my spine.

The length of his hot and hard body presses against my back.

Without thinking, I lean into him.

It feels good, familiar, comforting.

His hand lands on my hip, grounding me, reminding me just how good it felt being pinned between them.

Hendrix’s hand finds mine, and he entwines our fingers.

Instantly, the final few tense muscles in my body relax.

Right now, I feel like I belong more than I ever had in my life before.

Wilder’s hot breath rushes down my neck again before he leans even closer.

“What happens in a blackout stays in a blackout,” he whispers, his lips brushing the edge of my ear.

My breath catches.

Is it really that easy?

Could we carry on what we started out there earlier and then wake up in the morning like it never happened?

---