Chapter 26: Naughty & Nice: Chapter 26

The second I crawled out of bed, I fucking regretted it. With the power still out, it was fucking freezing.

Nearly two hours later, despite having started a fire and embarking on a grueling training session, I had failed hopelessly at distracting myself from both the cold and the situation I’d walked away from the bedroom.

I knew what happened after I left. The sounds of Noelle’s moans were a harsh reminder of what I could have been getting involved in.

But I’d already pushed my luck. Getting her off like I did this morning was a risk.

Hell, getting involved last night was a fucking risk. But at least we were all drunk. In the hard light of day, Hendrix’s opinion of me touching his girl might have been vastly different.

Call me a pussy, but I didn’t really want to hang around long enough for him to kick me out of bed so he could have his girl to himself.

No one kicks me out of bed. I’m either the one calling time on our rendezvous and leaving, or I’m the one kicking her out of bed.

They’re usually too busy begging me for another round…

I let out a pained sigh as I continue with my workout. After all, there’s fuck all else to do. It’s not like I’m about to go and cook Christmas Day breakfast.

I’m pretty sure I’ve already ruined their vacation enough at this point.

Or have I?

Giggles erupt from the bedroom again, causing yet another sigh to pass my lips.

I’m happy for them. I am. It’s taken long enough. But also… watching them makes me feel more lonely than I ever have in my life.

I’ve always surrounded myself with people for a reason. But I’m nothing but the third wheel at this party, and I hate it.

I push harder, forcing myself to work through the pain. I need it. It’s the perfect distraction from everything I refuse to dwell on.

If I were in Austin with the guys right now, I wouldn’t be having any of these issues.

I’d be blissfully ignorant and probably in bed nursing a hangover from the epic night before.

What exactly I did to deserve the airline fucking me up the ass quite this badly, I’ve no idea.

They fucked me over good, that’s all I fucking know.

The giggles and happiness get louder, and I’ve no choice but to look up when the happy couple emerge.

“You have to be shitting me,” I mutter.

“What?” Elle mocks. “I think they’re cute.”

“Matching Christmas sweaters are never cute,” I deadpan. “And plus, you weren’t even a couple when you bought those,” I point out.

“Aw, you’re just jealous that she didn’t buy you one too,” Rix mocks, unaware of just how close to the mark that comment hits.

“Fuck off,” I scoff. “You won’t catch me dead in a matching sweater to a girl, no matter how hot she is.”

They both laugh at me, looking entirely too happy about this whole situation.

It’s as infuriating as it is amazing.

I had my head between Noelle’s thighs last night. She came over my fingers this morning, and Hendrix isn’t beating the shit out of me.

Fucking Twilight Zone here in Canada or some shit.

“One day, you’ll eat your words,” Hendrix tells me smugly.

Shaking my head, I continue with what I’m doing. I might have been lonely with them locked in the bedroom, but now that they’re here, I’m not sure if seeing them all loved up in person is worse.

“Breakfast?” Noelle asks, gazing up at Hendrix like he’s just hung the moon.

“Yeah, I’m starving.”

“I wonder why,” I mutter.

“Jealousy really isn’t a good look on you, Bro.”

“Not jealous. I’ve got plenty of pussy just waiting for my attention. All I gotta do is video call one and boom,” I say making a little explosion gesture with my hand.

Noelle’s eyes darken with something before she mutters, “Lovely,” under her breath and disappears into the kitchen.

Hendrix and I stand there in silence for a few seconds as she crashes around.

“You good?” he finally asks me.

“Yeah, of course,” I lie. “You?”

“Fuck, yeah. It’s Christmas, and it started with being inside Noelle.”

“Hendrix,” she moans, clearly listening to us.

“What? I’m excited about it.”

Noelle chuckles and leaves it there.

“You both deserve it.”

Rix’s mouth opens and closes as if he wants to say more, but no words pass his lips.

“Just spit it out,” I demand.

He moves a little closer and lowers his voice. “We both enjoyed last night. Is that weird?”

“Only if you want it to be. Sex is sex. Pleasure is pleasure,” I say with a shrug. “There’s no shame in enjoying it in whatever form it comes in. Embrace it while it lasts, I say.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

“Bro,” I laugh, although there isn’t much genuine happiness in it and more self-loathing than I’m used to. “Of course I’m fucking okay with it. It was hella hot. As long as you’re good, I’m good. And anyway, something needs to liven this vacation up.”

“You didn’t need to come,” he says for the millionth time.

‘And where would you be right now if I hadn’t?” I raise a brow to emphasize my point. When he purses his lips, I follow up with, “Exactly, you’d still have blue balls and would be pining after Mrs. Claus in there.

“Being the nice one only gets you so far in life, Rix. Every now and then, you just have to be a little bit naughty.” I wink before continuing with my sit-ups, letting him go and help his girl out.

I’ve no idea what she’s cooking in there; we still have no electricity. I guess it’s going to be cereal all around… assuming they bought some.

“That’s the last log,” I say as I drop it into the fire, watching the embers fly out and land on the hearth.

“Shit,” Rix hisses.

“There’s more though, right?” Noelle asks, sounding a little terrified that on top of surviving with no electricity, we’re now going to freeze to death.

Okay, probably a little bit dramatic, but it’s really fucking cold even with the fire. I can’t imagine what this little wooden shack would be like without it.

At least we can snuggle… snuggling is fun…

“Yeah, they’re out in the woodshed.”

“Outside?”

“Yeah. That’s generally where people keep their wood pile.”

“All right, smart ass,” Noelle hisses.

But despite knowing what we have to do, all three of us just sit there.

“I made breakfast, so I think this job is for you two.”

“I’ve been keeping the fire going. Rix, what have you done today?”

“Made Elle come.”

“So did I,” I counter. “Try harder.”

Rix glares at me from his seat next to Elle on the couch.

“Fine,” he huffs before pushing to his feet. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Put a coat on,” Noelle calls after him.

“What happened to my little rebel?” I ask teasingly.

She sucks in a breath, but her only response is to narrow her eyes.

Following Rix to the door, they exchange a few words I can’t hear before he slips his feet into his sneakers and pulls his coat on like the good little boy that he is.

I shake my head. “So fucking whipped already.”

“There are worse positions to be in,” he shoots over his shoulder before reaching for the front door.

It’s still snowing out, but it’s nowhere near as heavy as it was yesterday, and the wind has eased off, too. But that doesn’t mean even an inch of the snow surrounding us has melted.

Curiosity has me climbing to my feet and following them.

I can only imagine what he’s about to⁠—

“Oh fuck,” Hendrix shouts as an avalanche of snow spills into the entryway.

“See, snowslide,” I announce smugly.

“W-what?” Rix barks as he stares at the mess before him.

“Now what do we do?” Noelle asks in a panic as the wind proves my previous point wrong and whips around all three of us, making us shiver and wrap our arms around ourselves.

“We need to move it,” Rix says helpfully.

“Where to? That’s taller than me out there.”

She’s not lying. Where the wind has blown the snow against the side of our cabin, it’s almost unscalable.

Exactly why I didn’t want to be the one to open the door.

Honestly, we’d probably have been better climbing out of a window. If I were less of an asshole, I might have pointed it out, but this is too funny.

“The bathtub?” Rix suggests.

“You want us to shovel all this with… something and dump it in the bathtub?” Noelle echoes in disbelief.

“Well, does anyone have a better idea that doesn’t involve flooding the cabin?”

When we both stay silent, he continues. “Right, should we go and find something to shift this with?” He marches into the kitchen, leaving Noelle and me in the entryway.

“He really shouldn’t have opened this door,” I point out.

“You didn’t do much to stop him.”

“Neither did you,” I shoot back.

“Hey, at least it gives us something to do.”

Noelle lets out a pained sigh. “I could think of other things we could be doing…”

I step closer and wrap a loose lock of hair around my finger.

“Oh yeah? Care to share?”

Her cheeks flush, letting me know that we’re most definitely on the same page here.

“Elle, Wilder, get your asses in here,” Rix demands.

“Boring,” I mutter, spinning around to find him standing in the middle of the kitchen with bowls in hand. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Deadly. Now start shoveling. The faster we can fix this, the faster we have logs and warmth.”

“Fucking hell, this was not the kind of Christmas Day I signed up for.”

“You’re telling me,” Noelle agrees as she takes her bowl and moves back toward the snowslide.

“This is going to take forever,” Rix mutters as he shovels his first bowlful.

“Should have thought of that before opening the⁠—”

“Unless you have something helpful to say, will you please shut the hell up?”

Noelle catches my eye, and we both erupt in laughter like naughty school kids.

It takes all of about five trips to the bathroom to deposit snow before I make a decision. “We need alcohol for this.” With that announcement made, I take off for the kitchen and retrieve the bottle of vodka from last night.

There’s less in there than I remember, but it’ll get us started. And hopefully, help keep us warm in the process.

“Are you serious? That’s not going to help,” Rix complains.

“Will you stop being such a stick in the mud? Elle is up for it. Aren’t you, little rebel?”

I hold the bottle out for her after I’ve taken a shot and wait.

Her eyes dart between mine and the bottle.

The old Noelle, the one I’ve known all my life, would most likely say no and continue on sober. But this new wild version of her… yeah, she’s more likely to let go.

“Let’s be honest, it’s not going to make this situation worse, is it?”

“Good girl,” I praise when she swipes the bottle from my hand and swallows down two shots.

“Rix?” she offers.

He lets out a heavy sigh but thankfully shakes off the seriousness and takes the bottle.

“To Christmases we’ll never forget,” he says as a way of a toast before chugging down a couple of mouthfuls and getting back to work.

He isn’t wrong. This is most definitely a Christmas we’re all going to remember.