Page 36 of Naughty & Nice
Heat surges through my body as my imagination runs away with me. Watching them together shouldn’t affect me like this. But it does.
Shaking my head, I rip my gaze away from them and continue toward the front door.
Unease trickles through my veins. I want to ignore everything, bury my head in the sand and just continue as usual. That’s the easiest, least stressful and painful way to deal with this. But it’s also wrong.
For once, I need to poke my head above the parapet and find out the truth, consequences be damned.
“Rix,” Noelle cries the second she hears my return.
Her quiet footsteps race through the cabin and in a heartbeat, she’s right there in front of me.
Her hair is piled on top of her head and she’s still wearing my hoodie. The sight of her in my clothes gives me the warm and fuzzies just like it always does. When she’s in my things, it’s easy to lie to myself and pretend that she’s mine.
I just manage to shrug my coat off when we collide.
“Shit,” I grunt, taking a step back as the force of her small body hits me.
“Oh my god, you’re soaking,” Noelle points out, releasing me in a flash.
The loss of her body heat causes a violent shiver to rip through me.
“Come on,” she says, taking my hand and leading me through to the bedroom.
Wilder’s gaze burns into me, but I don’t look at him.
I can’t.
If I do, I fear that all I’ll see is my worst nightmare playing out in my mind like a high-definition movie.
“Where have you been?” Noelle demands as the door closes behind us.
“Walking,” I mutter.
“In the snow?”
I shrug. It’s a Wilder move, and I hate that I’ve been reduced to that now.
“Take your clothes off,” she instructs as she rummages through my case to find warm replacements.
It’s something we’ve done a million times for each other in the past, but suddenly, everything feels different, and the prospect of stripping down to my underwear is suddenly very, very daunting.
When she spins around with a pair of sweats and a t-shirt in her hand, I’m still standing in exactly the same place.
I had no idea that my coat was doing fuck all to protect me from the snow. It just goes to prove how numb I was out there.
Right now, though, everything is coming back with the power of a tsunami.
“Rix, you need to?—”
“I need to know everything,” I blurt, cutting her off.
Her brow creases with concern. “W-what?” she stutters.
“Something has happened with you and Wilder, and I need to know what that is,” I state, my voice steadier than I was expecting.
“Rix,” she warns.
“No,” I bark. “Don’t try to protect me. It’s too late. I’ve got all these images and ideas floating around my head, and I need to know if they’re right or not.”