Naughty & Nice: A MFM Snowed-in Christmas Romance
Naughty & Nice: Chapter 18

I walk away from my brother with a smirk playing on my lips and desire flooding through my veins.

The walls in this place are far too thin. I know exactly what they were doing in the bathroom. His groans and her cries for more gave them away in a heartbeat.

I was once again left hard as fuck as the sounds of them enjoying each other filled my ears.

Did I really think that replaceing the audio version of the book that Noelle is reading was going to help? No, not for a second, but I was intrigued.

Now having listened to an hour or so, I’m even more curious.

As I leave Hendrix behind, the bathroom door opens and Noelle steps out wrapped in a towel.

I stop and make a show of checking her out.

Honestly, I can’t see anything, but the way her cheeks have reddened by the time I get back to her face makes me wonder if she’s aware.

She tightens the fabric around herself before dropping her eyes and moving toward the bedroom.

“Are you done in here?” I ask.

“Yep, all yours.”

“Thanks. Not sure I’ll have as much fun as you did, though.” I’m about to close the door when a thought hits me. “Elle?”

“Yeah?” she says looking back over her shoulder.

“When you’re done, can you help me make breakfast? Hendrix is… busy.”

We both look in the direction of the living room and replace Hendrix standing at the windows, gazing out at the blizzard beyond.

“He looks swamped,” Noelle jokes.

“You’ve no idea where his head is at right now. I’ll be ten minutes,” I promise before closing the door behind me and instantly shoving my shorts down my thighs.

My semi bobs free, and I stare down at it with a sigh.

“I’m doing my best here; don’t taunt me,” I muse before laughing at myself and stepping into the shower.

I get blasted with ice-cold water for a few seconds, but it does very little to wash away my lingering desire, or the images the audiobook helped to draw in my head.

I’ve messed around with group sex before. I’ve tag-teamed girls with friends, and I’ve had multiple girls at once—good times. But they’ve always purely been about fun and pleasure. And alcohol. There was a lot of alcohol.

If something were to happen here, it would be so much more than those previous times.

It would be something that would have the power to build or break relationships that have lasted a lifetime.

My heart rate picks up as the weight of the seed I’m planting really takes hold.

I mean, sure, it might be that I plant and water this seed as much as I want, but it never goes anywhere.

Hendrix has been in love with Noelle his entire life. Why should he even consider sharing her with me? So what if we’ve shared everything our entire lives? Maybe this is where we part ways. Take different paths…

But then I think of his statement earlier…

“If there’s going to be any nakedness, I need to be involved.”

Needing to put a stop to my overthinking, I tip my face to the water and wrap my hand around my shaft.

If I take the edge off, it’ll make everything easier, I lie to myself.

Images of Noelle pinned between me and Hendrix fill my mind, and I allow myself the freedom to take it wherever I want until I’m spilling my seed into the shower tray.

After cleaning up, I dry myself off, wrap a towel around my waist, and head out.

Hendrix is standing in the exact same place as he was earlier when I return. He’s so lost in the story, he doesn’t even hear me approach.

With a silent chuckle, I pull my bag from behind the couch and rummage through for a clean pair of boxers.

Movement behind me lets me know that Noelle is approaching, and I act before she can slip into the kitchen.

Standing to my full height, I drop my towel.

It pools at my feet for a beat before she sucks in a sharp breath.

Pretending to not know she’s there, I spin around, barely covering myself with the fabric in my hand.

“Oh shit, sorry,” I say with a smirk.

She knows me too well and sees straight through it.

She’s busy rolling her eyes as hard as she can and pretending not to check me out when Hendrix finally gets with the program and spins around.

He sees Noelle first—obviously— but the second he sees her looking at me, his eyes turn my way.

“The fuck, Bro?” he barks, but his question is soon forgotten when Noelle glances at him and notices that he’s been enjoying his time at the window.

Glad I’m not the only one to rock a semi while listening to a man growling in my ear.

Fuck. I am never saying that out loud. Ever.

“What’s going on?” Noelle asks suspiciously.

“Hendrix has been enjoying his first audiobook. Haven’t you, man?”

Rix’s lips open and close as he debates whether he’s willing to confess or not.

“An audiobook?” Noelle asks, looking impressed.

“Uh…”

“What are you listening to?”

With her focus on Rix, I quickly pull my boxers on and watch them interact.

Hesitantly, Hendrix lifts my cell and shows Noelle.

“That’s what I’m reading,” she says, confusion laced through her tone.

“You inspired me yesterday,” I explain, helping Rix out. “And I thought I could inspire Rix too. It really is an interesting read.”

Noelle’s mouth opens to respond, but after a second or two, she clearly decides that she doesn’t have any words to offer.

“If you want to make breakfast, you’re going to need to put more clothes on,” she finally says, turning her eyes on me.

“We should play it through the Bluetooth speaker. That way we can all enjoy it,” I suggest.

Noelle’s lips purse with frustration. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” she says before spinning on her heels and marching toward the kitchen.

“Clearly not an audiobook fan,” I mutter as I pull a pair of shorts and a T-shirt from my bag.

“You’re playing with fire,” Hendrix warns darkly.

I still with my arms in my t-shirt and look at him.

“If you’re not interested in getting a little hot, then all you’ve got to do is say. We’re stuck here for the foreseeable future; as far as I can see, we either die of boredom watching endless Hallmark movies, or we have some fun.

“Which would you rather do?”

“Don’t worry, Wild Child,” he mocks, using the nickname our sister gave me years ago. “I’m having plenty of fun.”

“But you could be having more,” I say as he walks toward the couch, putting my AirPods back in as he goes.

“I thought you were having a cooking lesson,” he prompts before dropping onto the couch and getting comfortable.

“Yeah,” I muse, taking off toward where Noelle is already crashing around in the kitchen. “What are we making?”

“Waffles,” she says with a wide smile.

“Okay, great. Where do you want me?”

She grins at me, and I can’t help but wonder what she’s really thinking about.

My eyes drop down her body again, taking in every one of her curves in her leggings and loose t-shirt. Our innocent little Noelle knows exactly what she’s doing… she’s braless beneath that shirt.

“Oh yeah, I like where your dirty mind just went, Rebel. They do say that it’s the quiet ones you should be wary of.” I close the space between us, making her suck in a sharp breath. “And you’re one of those, aren’t you? Well, unless you’ve got my brother between your thighs. Then you’re not very quiet at all.”

“You didn’t do any of this, did you?” Hendrix asks a while later when I lower a massive plate of waffles to the middle of the table. Noelle follows me with a plate of bacon and sausage, and a bowl of fruit salad.

“I helped,” I scoff.

“That’s true, he did. You can see his first attempt in the trash.”

I let out a frustrated huff as I remember why I don’t cook.

It’s not that I just choose not to, I can’t, and it fucking irks me that I’m bad at something. “They weren’t that bad,” I mutter.

“I’ve seen less burned charcoal,” Noelle points out, making Hendrix laugh.

Asshole.

“That’s cool, laugh it up. Just remember that I’m better at a whole host of things that Hendrix hasn’t even attempted yet.”

“Low blow,” Rix mutters as he helps himself to two waffles before piling bacon on top and drizzling the whole lot with syrup.

“True though. Elle, when you want to experience what a real man can do, you come let me know.”

She shakes her head, laughing it off as she takes the seat beside Rix and places a kiss on his cheek. She can deny it all she likes; I saw those dirty thoughts in her head in the kitchen.

“So, how’s the book? Anything happened that we need to know about?” I ask Rix, loving the way his cheeks heat.

“Yep, they killed the other guy,” he says without missing a beat.

Noelle snorts, aware that losing a lover isn’t a story arc in the book we’re now all reading or listening to.

“With pleasure, you mean. I’m assuming he went all the way with the other guy’s woman. I didn’t get that far.”

“You should continue listening. I’d hate to ruin it for you.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t.”

Anticipation crackles between us.

We’re all thinking the same things, or at least I think we are.

The question is, are we going to do anything about those thoughts, or are we going to spend the next few days skirting around the idea before returning to Trinity and forgetting all about it?

Sure seems a shame to do that and not make the most of this opportunity. We may never get it again. We all live very different lives, and despite sharing a house, I’m hardly ever there. It’s not like we’d be starting anything serious.

I’m more than aware that Noelle belongs to Hendrix. She always has and always will. Doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate how hot she is.

I’ll never try and steal her away. They belong together. And I… I belong to being wild and carefree, just as my name suggests.

My fate was written for me when our parents decided to make me the wild one, and I’m okay with that.

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.