The Very Naughty List

35. Sebastian

35

SEBASTIAN

It’s definitely starting to feel like Hailey just belongs here with us—especially when she wanders into the living room a few days after the holiday parade, wearing my clothes like it’s second nature.

I glance up at her from where I’m sprawled out on the couch, unable to suppress my grin. “Damn. My flannel shirt has never looked so good before.”

It’s the truth. The shirt she’s got on is one of my oldest, softest flannels. It’s one of my favorite shirts, actually, and I fucking love seeing her in it. Especially when the only other item of clothing that she’s wearing is a pair of panties.

“Hope you don’t mind.” She’s only done up the middle buttons, and she tugs at the hem of the shirt a little. “I wasn’t quite ready to get all the way dressed yet, and I saw it sitting on the back of your chair. I just wanted to lounge around in something soft and comfortable for a bit before I need to get ready.”

“I don’t mind one bit, shortcake.” My gaze roams over the way the baggy shirt falls over her soft curves, tracing the long line of her legs where they emerge from beneath it. She’s fucking stunning. “You can keep it. I don’t ever want it back. That shirt has never been so happy.”

She blushes, laughing lightly as she walks closer. Then she sighs, plopping down onto the couch beside me.

“I sort of wish I didn’t have to get dressed up at all tonight. There are always a million things to do around the holidays. It seems like we were just at that Christmas parade.”

“That was a few days ago.” I immediately regret pointing that out, because it reminds me that everything is happening so fast. The days are passing too damn quickly, and the Christmas season will be over soon. I wonder if that’s when this whole arrangement of having Hailey here with us will end too.

I don’t really want to think about it.

Bruno perks up in his bed by the window, glancing our way. As soon as he sees Hailey, he hauls himself to his feet and lumbers over. He practically follows her around the house these days, and every time he sees her, his houndish face lights up.

“Hey, Bruno. Who’s a good boy? You are! Such a sweet boy.” She leans down to pet him, flopping his ears around and making him practically shiver with delight.

Great. Now I’m jealous of both a shirt and a dog.

After sending Bruno to doggie heaven with several minutes of attention and scratches, Hailey plants a kiss on the top of his head and stands up.

“I’d better go get dressed soon,” she tells me. “I want to get there early so I can help out.”

The Bennetts are throwing their annual Christmas party tonight. It’s actually one of my favorite holiday events, nothing at all like the stuffy ball that the Montgomerys threw.

“We can come early and help too,” I offer, volunteering my brothers along with myself. I doubt they’ll mind.

“Really?” She lights up a little. “Thanks. I’m sure my parents would appreciate the help.”

“Of course. Your family is like our family too. And we take care of what’s ours.”

An expression I can’t quite decipher passes across her face at my words.

She blinks at me and swallows, then leans down quickly and gives me a kiss before disappearing back upstairs. I watch her go, curious what was on her mind just now.

I don’t have a lot of time to think about it though, since I need to get ready myself. I trail after her, throwing on a long-sleeved shirt that looks nice without sacrificing comfort and a pair of dark jeans. I pop into Nick’s and Reid’s rooms to let them know what’s going on, and when my brothers and I are all dressed and ready to go, the three of us head down to the living room to wait for Hailey.

She appears just a few minutes later, and as she descends the stairs, my stomach feels like it drops about a foot and a half.

The dress she’s wearing tonight isn’t as fancy as the one she wore to the Montgomerys’ ball, but it’s definitely more her , and that makes it even better. The hem hits just above her knees, and she has a pair of leggings on beneath it. The dress itself is made of a sweater material that hugs her curves like it was made just for her, and the green color is a perfect complement to her emerald eyes.

“Wow.”

Nick is the one who breathes the word, but I’m pretty sure we were all thinking it.

“Thanks.” She grins. “You guys don’t look half bad yourselves.”

I walk over and tilt her chin up, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. “You clean up pretty good, shortcake.” I move my head to one side a little, nipping at her earlobe before adding in a low voice, “But I still stand by the fact that you look sexiest of all wearing nothing but my shirt.”

She shivers slightly, biting her lip as I straighten.

Nick and Reid fall in on either side of her as I lead her toward the door, and all four of us head out. We’re able to play things a little more relaxed tonight, since there’s no one we’re trying to impress the way we were at the ball. So despite the fact that we’re still outwardly supposed to be competing for her affections, we all arrive at her parents’ house together, not bothering to stagger our entrances.

We’re early, so no guests are here yet. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet welcome each of us with a hug, and Grandma Dee gives a special warm welcome to Nick. He’s her favorite. And it takes less than a minute for the two of them to start talking about some show that they’ve been watching together.

“Thank goodness you’re here.” Mr. Bennett chuckles, gesturing out to the front walkway. “Would you strapping young lads mind helping me shovel the drive and clear out a few parking spaces along the street? I don’t want any of our guests slipping on the ice or getting their heels stuck in the snow.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Bennett.” Nick is the first one out the door to grab a shovel, with me and Reid close behind.

When Lucas joins us, it feels like old times again.

We switch off between shoveling and chipping away at some ice that’s accumulated, and with the five of us working together, it doesn’t take long for us to clear space for people to park.

After we finish, Mr. Bennett takes Reid and Nick into the garage to show off his new workbench setup. I wander back into the house and head toward the kitchen, hoping that maybe Mrs. Bennett has some homemade hot chocolate brewing, or a few hot toddies. I could really go for something to warm me up from the inside out after that shoveling.

But as I near the kitchen doorway, the sound of voices stops me.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt, that’s all.” Mrs. Bennett’s voice is slightly muffled, as if she’s got her head in the fridge or something. It grows clearer as she continues, and I hear the fridge door shut. “It just… seems like a bad idea. Those boys have been like family for years, and they’re your brother’s best friends.”

“I know.” Hailey’s voice is quiet.

“Aren’t you worried it will end badly?” Her mom sighs. “It seems like they’re getting along fine now, but if you get serious with one of them, what do you think will happen then?”

“It’s okay, Mom. I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” There’s the sound of something being set down on the counter. “Because I’ve seen the way they look at you. All three of them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on Hailey.” Her mother chuckles, although I can still hear the worry in her tone. “It’s clear as day to anyone with eyes. They’re head over heels for you. And I see the way you look at them too. All of them.”

My heart gives a heavy thud, pounding against my sternum so hard that it startles me out of my frozen state. I turn away from the door quickly, forgetting about hot chocolate and hot toddies and everything else.

The entire conversation replays in my mind as I make my way blindly through the Bennetts’ house, barely paying attention to where I’m going. But one phrase keeps getting stuck on repeat, echoing over and over.

I see the way you look at them too.

“Shit! Whoa, man. Where’s the fire?”

Lucas jerks back as I round a corner heading toward the back door of the house, holding up his hands as I almost plow into him.

“Oh, sorry.” I clear my throat, trying to wrestle my thoughts back into submission. “Uh, I was just gonna go see if any snow needed to be cleared away out back.”

He glances toward the door. “Good question. I’ll check with my dad.” When he looks back at me, his brows furrow. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I force a smile onto my face. “All good. Just ready for some of your mom’s famous eggnog.”

“Oh Jesus, don’t fucking remind me,” he groans.

Mrs. Bennett, god love her, made the most disgusting batch of eggnog one Christmas about five years ago, and it knocked out about half of us with food poisoning on Christmas day. Since then, she’s refused to make it from scratch, but the memory still haunts us.

Lucas shakes his head, still looking a little queasy, and to be honest, I do too—although not for the same reasons.

A knot of guilt is twisting in my stomach, and I don’t know what the fuck to do about it.

My brothers and I are more than just friends with Lucas. We used to joke that he was our long-lost quadruplet. And I hate the fact that I’m keeping a secret from him.

I see the way you look at them too.

Mrs. Bennett’s words flash through my mind again, making my jaw clench.

This was all just supposed to be something fun, something to help Hailey out against the town bullies and her douchebag ex. But now it’s all spiraling away from what it was originally intended to be. It’s turning into something more, something… deeper.

Something a hell of a lot more complicated.