Page 6 of Naughty & Nice

“Can’t.”

Noelle mutters something to herself that sounds suspiciously like, ‘Give me strength,’ before combing her fingers through her auburn hair.

With a groan, Hendrix signals and then pulls off the road at the next opportunity.

I throw the door out and stumble a few feet away, not bothering to hide what I’m doing from passers-by. Who am I to stop them from the thrill of seeing me?

“It’s like traveling with a toddler,” Noelle complains not quite quietly enough from inside the car.

“Noelle,” Hendrix warns, attempting to fight my corner, although if I’m being honest, it’s weak at best.

“What? He’s your brother, Rix. I get it. On some weird level, I love him too. But ugh… this was not the trip we planned.”

I get it too. I just barged in on their cute, non-couple romantic holiday vacation. Neither of them expected to ‘babysit’ me.

I shake my head as I finish what I’m doing. I don’t want to ruin their vacation, but also… I need to have some fucking fun.

If I don’t, then…

Fuck.

I have to have something to keep my mind and body active. If I don’t, I’ll be forced to really think about my life. I’ll have to feel… and that is not fucking happening.

There will hot girls where we’re going… right?

“I’m pulling over,” Noelle says when we’re only three hours out from our destination. The sun has set, plunging us into darkness, and a gas station glows ahead.

Both of them have taken a turn at driving now, and I have eaten my way through the snacks they brought with them, plus the ones I picked up at an earlier stop.

“Great. I’m starving,” I announce, sitting forward, ready to go and find more food.

Noelle shakes her head. I can’t see Hendrix's response, but something tells me that he rolls his eyes.

The second she pulls the car to a stop, I fly out and make a beeline for the store, leaving Hendrix and Noelle to deal with the gas situation. Their vacation. His car. Not my problem.

I walk up and down every aisle, filling a basket with everything and anything that should help to make the final few hours of this trip bearable.

So far, I’ve had to endure their endless chatter and shitty taste in music. I need something to help get me through.

I’m walking toward the checkout when a familiar figure emerges from the end of the aisle and darts into the bathroom.

Abandoning my goodies, I slip around the corner that’s hiding the bathrooms and wait.

I rest back against the wall opposite the ladies’ with my foot propped up casually.

With every second that passes, my heart rate picks up and excitement bubbles up in my stomach.

This… this adrenaline shot is what the car journey was missing. The only fun bit was experiencing Noelle’s reaction to my touch. But unless I wanted to out her and her lies on day one, I needed to hold back.

The lock disengages and my heart jumps into my throat.

She doesn’t look up immediately, and I can’t help but smirk in anticipation.

I clear my throat and her gaze lifts.

Her eyes widen in shock as a small gasp escapes from her lips.

“What are you doing?” she hisses, quickly recovering and giving me a hard glare.