Chapter 2: Naughty & Nice: Chapter 2

I rest my head back and slump lower in the seat.

Hanging out with my twin brother and his bestie in a remote cabin in Canada was not a part of my holiday plans.

I was supposed to be heading toward the ocean for ten days of sun, sex, and relaxation. I wanted to fuck a different girl every night, drink my body weight in alcohol, and sleep until sunset.

No, it’s not a very festive way to spend the holidays, but fuck it. It was going to be perfect for me.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the holidays. They always sucked sweaty balls when we were kids.

I remember watching the commercials of happy families enjoying spending time together as a kid. The decorations, the roaring fires, the gifts…

It was nothing but a tragic reminder of the life we didn’t get to live.

Sure, we always had gifts. But only because our big sister ensured there was something for us to open.

It rips me apart inside if I think too hard about what she experienced before we were old enough to return the favor.

I’ve tried talking to her about it a time or two, but she just shuts it down, telling me it’s unnecessary to dwell on those times. I’ve no idea if she does that to protect herself or me. Or maybe a little of both.

Our childhoods were horrific. I can’t really argue with her not wanting to talk about it. If I had my way, I wouldn’t even think about it.

Losing myself in thoughts of Christmases gone by, the darkness I try to keep banished to the peripheral threatens.

Just when I don’t think I’m going to be able to drag myself back, the song playing through the car changes and a soft female voice floats through my ears.

My skin pricks with goosebumps as I latch onto the words she’s singing.

“Mariah Carey, really?” I ask.

“What?” Noelle says, breaking the tune. “It’s the holidays. It’s like… tradition.”

“One I could do without,” I mutter, keeping my eyes locked on the back of her head, waiting to see if she’s going to risk looking back at me again.

The last time she did, I swear it was almost like getting shot at point blank, the way the chemistry crackled between us.

It takes a couple of seconds, but eventually, she turns.

Her entire body flinches when she finds me waiting for her.

“I get that it’s the holidays, but can we cancel all the festive shit?”

Her eyes narrow, anger flickering through her green orbs.

“Just because your vacation has been ruined,” my brother snaps from the driver’s seat, “it doesn’t mean you need to fuck ours up as well.”

Noelle smirks and turns back around, happy that I’ve been put in my place by my very slightly older brother.

Asshole.

“Then maybe you should have planned something a little more fun. A cabin in the woods… So cliche.”

“Would you like me to pull over?” Hendrix threatens. “It’s not too late to change your mind and stay home alone.”

I roll my eyes hard. “Keep your lace panties on, Bro.”

His grip on the wheel tightens and his neck pulsates with tension.

“We’re going to have fun together.” I lean forward, once again hooking my arms around both of their chairs. “Right?” I ask as I shamelessly graze my knuckles down Noelle’s neck.

She reacts to my touch just like she did earlier.

Fire burns through my veins as I remember the last time I had my hands on her.

Halloween.

I didn’t even realize it was her… until it was too late.

I should have stopped immediately.

I should have regretted it.

Hell, there are a lot of fucking things that I should have done both that night and after, but here I am instead, taunting her with what we discovered that night.

We’ve barely seen each other since.

Sure, she’s been at my games with Hendrix. She’s been at the house when I’ve swung by for a visit… or to raid their kitchen for food. But she’s always made an excuse to disappear to her room.

As far as I can tell, Hendrix hasn’t noticed. Or if he has, he hasn’t cared enough to question it.

No. He hasn’t noticed. Noelle is far too important to him not to say anything if he thinks something is up with her.

He is usually much more in sync with her than this. She must be putting a hell of an effort into hiding what happened.

Mischief stirs within me.

I might tease them, but something tells me that there’s going to be nothing boring about us being on this vacation together.

Noelle doesn’t continue with her singing. In fact, she says absolutely nothing as we continue on what feels like an endless road.

“Your snacks are shit,” I complain, having eaten my way through the good stuff. “Who brings fruit as a road trip treat? What the—” I gasp when a small, feminine hand reaches into the back of the car, snatching the container of fruit from my grasp.

“As an athlete, you should understand why it’s important not to fill your body with crap.”

“Road trips don’t count,” I mutter, rummaging at the bottom of the bag for any lingering candy.

Not finding anything, I fall back into the seat and look out. There is nothing but fields surrounding us.

“Can you pull over? I need to piss.”

“We’re not stopping yet,” Hendrix states.

“Bro,” I warn.

“You can wait,” he counters.

“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.

“Just making sure you’re safe,” I say, pushing from the wall and stopping in front of her.

“Totally unnecessary and unneeded,” she says through gritted teeth. “Could you please get out of my way?” she demands, staring up at me with nothing but irritation in her eyes.

“Maybe I don’t want to,” I tease, cocking my head to the side.

She lets out a massive sigh, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s been holding her breath since I climbed into the car all those hours ago.

“Wilder.”

I take a step closer.

“Mmm… I love it when you say my name like that,” I whisper, dropping my lips to her ear so only she can hear.

Her entire body tenses as my breath rushes down her neck.

“You need to stop this,” she demands, although her voice isn’t as strong as I think she’d probably like. It’s raspy and full of need.

She remembers…

“I’m not sure you mean that, Rebel.”

I can sense her confusion long before I pull back and see it written all over her face.

Her brow is wrinkled and her lips are pursed. She looks cute. The exact opposite of the nickname she didn’t know I’ve given her.

I understand why she’s confused. She is the furthest thing possible from a rebel.

She has every reason to be wild. To drown out her past and her issues with outlandish behavior. But she’s gone in the opposite direction.

She’d be happier spending her nights in her room reading a book than being out partying. Or at least, she was until that night not so long ago…

“You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?”

She holds her head higher and lifts her chin in defiance. It might work if I didn’t know her so well.

She’s been a part of my life for years. A part of our little fucked-up family for as long as I can remember.

But that night… I saw her in a whole different light.

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” she argues firmly.

Reaching out, I wrap my hand around her hip and tug her forward, eliminating the space between us.

“Wilder,” she snaps, attempting to fight me.

But I’m stronger. So much stronger.

“Do you want to know a secret, little rebel?”

“No,” she cries a little too loudly. “No,” she repeats. “I don’t want to know anything.”

“Well, that’s a real shame, because I’m going to tell you anyway.”

Her nostrils flare as she sucks in a deep breath through her nose, although much to my delight, she’s no longer fighting to get away.

Leaning closer again, crushing our bodies together, I let my lips brush her ear, loving the way she shudders.

“I can’t stop thinking about it.”