Chapter 14

14

TRISTAN

The sound of Dylan knocking on the door jolts through me like a live wire. I pull away from Nina’s intoxicating kiss—not sure if I’ve been saved or doomed by the interruption. My entire body is buzzing as I take in her emerald eyes that have never looked bigger and her pouty lips, swollen and still parted for me. Damn, she looks like my personal heaven and hell rolled into one.

She isn’t moving or saying anything, she’s just staring at me. And it’s like looking into a green forest, a shocked, enthralling woodland.

Dylan knocks again, impatient. When Nina still doesn’t move, I lean in, my lips grazing the shell of her ear.

“Tell him you need a minute,” I whisper. Goosebumps prickle across her skin. She nods, dazed, eyes unwaveringly locked on mine.

“Just a second!” she calls, her voice hitching. I glance around the room, searching for a place to hide. There’s no way I’m crawling out the window like some pimply teenager. Especially not when it’s in the low twenties outside.

“Is there somewhere to hide?” I ask. Nina’s gaze darts to the bed. I narrow my eyes. “I’m not hiding under your bed,” I hiss.

She huffs and shoves me toward the walk-in closet instead. I stumble inside, nearly tripping over a pile of shoes before Nina slams the door in my face.

Next, I hear her yank open the bedroom door. I can almost picture Dylan standing on the other side, arms crossed impatiently.

“Hello, brother,” she says, overly bright. I wince. Could she be any more obvious? This is going to hell fast. I’m a dead man. Dylan will discover me and mount my head on his bedroom wall.

Irrationally—Dylan can’t see me either way—I press my back against the back of the closet, the ridges of Nina’s shoe rack digging into my spine. Holding my breath, I strain to hear their voices through the door.

“Hello, sister ,” Dylan replies, drawing out the words. He’s definitely suspicious. I picture his eyebrows shooting up, the way they always do when he’s onto something. “Why aren’t you wearing pants?”

Yeah, great question, buddy. I’m curious to hear the answer myself.

“Oh, I ripped them.” Nina’s voice is an octave too high. “In the basement. I was just changing.”

Silence. I can practically hear the gears turning in Dylan’s head.

“The basement?” Dylan asks slowly. “Funny, that’s why I came up. Mom found the vase you glued back together. She’s not mad anymore. You should go down and apologize to her while she’s mollified.”

My nose itches, and I fight the urge to sneeze. Getting busted because of dusty cashmere would be a new low, even for me.

“Right. Yes. I’ll go now.” Nina’s voice wobbles.

I don’t even mind that she hasn’t given me credit for helping with the vase. Dylan can’t know. No one can know. Especially not after that half-kiss that I’m dying and dreading to finish.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Dylan asks. I can practically see the frown on his face.

“Yeah, sure, I’m golden. Nothing is going on.”

Gosh, Nina, why don’t you tell him you have his best friend stashed in your closet? You’d sound less guilty. But as long as Dylan doesn’t open this door, we’re fine. I’ve never been claustrophobic, but I’m starting to feel the walls inch closer. The air turns stale in my lungs. It’s okay. I can handle five more minutes in my best friend’s sister’s closet.

“I’ll go apologize to Mom, at once,” Nina says, still sounding agitated.

“Wait.” What now? “Shouldn’t you wear pants first?”

“Pants, sure.” Nina lets out a hysterical chuckle. “I’ll just grab a pair from my closet .” She practically screams those last words.

“Right.” Dylan clears his throat. He must be super weirded-out.

That’s my clue to slink further into the shadows. I flatten myself against the darkest corner of the closet where I shouldn’t be visible even with the door open.

As if on cue, the door flies open, and Nina slips inside. In the dim light, her eyes shine like emeralds, wide and luminous. She glowers at me, I smirk.

Still staring daggers at me, she steps closer, reaching for the shelf above my head. Her soft, fuzzy sweater rides up, revealing even more smooth skin on her toned legs. I swallow hard.

Nina rises on tiptoe, her body grazing mine. The heat of her seeps through my sweater, igniting a fire in my veins. She stretches higher, and her chest brushes against me. I clench my jaw, fighting the urge to haul her against me and pick up where we left off.

Focus, Montgomery. Your best friend is standing just outside that door and would beat you into a pulp if he found you in his sister’s room looking ready to devour her like a wolf eyeing a particularly juicy lamb chop.

But as Nina fumbles for her pants, her breath warm on my neck, I can’t help myself. I flatten my palm against the small of her back, steadying her. She tenses, her eyes snapping to mine.

I let my hand wander up her spine, relishing the shiver that runs through her. I go higher, skimming her nape, then softly thread my fingers through her hair. Goosebumps erupt on her skin.

Nina parts her lips, a protest forming. I silence her with a look, my hand sliding down, down, until I’m moving over the curve of her ass and lower still. My fingertips graze the inside of her thigh.

She goes very still, eyes wide and questioning. I drink it in, tracing lazy circles on her soft skin. Moving higher, slowly, an inch at a time. Her breath hitches.

“Hey, Nina?” Dylan’s voice shatters the moment. “Have you seen Tristan?”

Nina jolts back, snatching her pants from the shelf. “What? No! Why would I have seen Tristan?”

She stumbles out of the closet, leaving the door ajar. I press myself into the rack, holding my breath.

“I’ve been looking for him, but he’s not in his room and I can’t find him anywhere.”

“He’s probably off to polish his horns or something.” Her laugh is reedy, cracking at the edges.

She glares at me from the closet doorway, her mouth pressed into a tight line of disapproval. I can’t resist. I blow her a kiss, my smirk widening as her eyes narrow to slits.

“Look, I know you two don’t like each other,” Dylan says, his voice laced with exasperation. “But could you please stop trying to maim my best friend and just be civil for the rest of the holidays?”

Nina huffs, tearing her gaze from mine to face her brother. “I can’t make any promises.”

I watch her pull up her pants and something burns in my chest, a new feeling I don’t dare name. It’s more than just attraction, more than the thrill of the chase. It’s something deeper, something that terrifies and exhilarates me in equal measure.

Dylan sighs. “Just… try, okay? For me.”

“Fine,” Nina grumbles. “But if he starts something, I reserve the right to retaliate.”

I bite back a laugh. Oh, I’ll start something , alright. And her retaliation will be my prize.

“Whatever.” Dylan sighs. “If you see him, tell him I’m looking for him.”

Dylan’s footsteps retreat, the door closing behind him. Nina whirls on me, her eyes flashing. “You,” she hisses, stalking toward the closet. “Get out of here before my brother finds you and murders you.”

I step out of the shadows, my hands raised in mock surrender. “Eager to get rid of me, Thompson?” I inch closer. “You didn’t seem to mind me a minute ago.”

She jabs a finger into my chest. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it’s not cool.”

I catch her wrist, tugging her closer. “Oh, I think it was very cool . In fact, I’d say it was downright… electrifying.”

Nina gasps, her pulse jumping beneath my fingers. For a moment, we stare at each other, as an unspoken challenge pulses through the stillness.

Then she wrenches her arm free, backing away. “This never happened,” she says, her voice shaking. “And it will never happen again.”

I watch her go, my Adam’s apple bobbing. She’s right, of course she is. This should never have happened, it shouldn’t happen again. But now that I’ve had a taste, I’m not sure I could keep away even if I wanted to. So, no, Nina, if only you knew how wrong you are.

A second later, my phone buzzes in my pocket—it’s Dylan texting me asking me where the hell I am. Right, I’d better come up with a great excuse for where I’ve been in the past two hours. But not before I send a little teasing text to my favorite troublemaker.