Dirty Princes (Hot Candy 3)

“Wow. She really is a princess, huh?”

And now I’m getting images of her in a diamond choker and nothing else as I sink into her, my hand tugging on it, making her choke a little as she—

“Jet is telling me you’re looking for a new job,” Candy says, cutting through my filthy thoughts with a bang. “What kind of job? I could ask around.”

“I…” Fuck, I feel my face warm. “I’m a warehouse loader.” I also have experience as a dishwasher and cashier. But who cares? “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

Loader. Dishwasher. Why would Brylee ever wanna go out with a loser like me anyway? Of course she’d prefer a business man, like this Ryan. An educated, successful man.

Yeah, I haven’t managed to get a better job, four years out of high school. And it’s only a temporary one, even after all this time. My first concern when I grabbed Xavier and left home was to make enough to live on.

And I did.

The problem is that I never had a cushion allowing me to quit, or even hell, take time off to look for another job. No sick days allowed. No real vacation—every free moment spent on temporary, part-time jobs to make the little extra that would allow me and my brother to keep afloat.

Like now.

“You saw Brylee today?” I have no fucking clue why I’m asking. Why I’m curious about a girl who rejected me before I even thought about asking her out.

Okay, that’s a lie, it had crossed my mind. Still…

“We sometimes go together to the gym. This big one on Regent Street. Prime Fitness, it’s called. Also… Ryan is a member there. Ryan Dawson.”

Oh shit, okay. And… “Did you meet him?”

She shrugs. “Yeah.”

“He’s an asshole,” Jet says, then frowns when Candy throws him a pointed look. “What? You said so yourself a few times.”

“I don’t…” Candy sighs. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“Why?”

Candy tucks a stray blond curl behind one ear. She’s a pretty girl, and sweet, too. I can see why my cousin fell so hard for her. Him and Joel, who’s observing us with hooded eyes, arms folded over his chest.

“Brylee is coming on too strong to him,” she says and looks away, busies herself with a cake Joel baked, cutting slices for all of us. “She has this idea that she’ll convince him she’s the right girl for him. When I met him today, he seemed like a nice guy.”

Great. Not only is he the guy Brylee wants, he’s nice, too.

I shouldn’t feel so jealous of a guy I’ve never met, over a girl I’ve never had a chance in hell with. If I wanted a chance.

Which I don’t. I fucking don’t.

So let her hunt and capture this guy and have his babies. Who am I to stand in the way of such an epic love?

Where I come from, dreams stay dreams, and only children believe in fairytales.

***

I’ve got this.

I’ve taken on more hours at the warehouse. Also, I’ve found a temporary job as cashier at a fast-food joint not far from where I live that I can do early in the morning, or late in the evening, depending on demand.

Take that, Monday. And fuck you, by the way. I’m gonna get enough to pay the rent and the bills.

Not to forget: Xavier came back.

That thought alone is enough to give me energy to push on. And I need it with all the work piled on my plate.