Dirty Princes (Hot Candy 3)

“No shit?” Riddick lifts himself up on one elbow, sexy and pissed off like some ancient god washed up on a worn sofa and into my reality. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Fuck. “I’m sorry.”

That’s all my panicking mind can come up with and then I’m out of there as fast as my feet can carry me.

What the hell was I thinking?

Chapter Sixteen

Buttered Cookie Dough

Brylee

“Did you know that in the Middle Ages unicorns were thought to be so pure they could only be captured and tamed by a virgin maiden?” Joel, the nerdy one of Candy’s two boyfriends, points at my chest.

I glance down at the rainbow unicorn dress I’m wearing. It says, “I’m 99% unicorn.”

“So… what about the rest of you?” Joel folds his arms and leans back against Jet who’s drawing something on his ever-present pad. “Any guesses?”

“Not sure… maybe godmother?” I say hopefully. “I love kids. I’ll be great, I promise.”

“Do you really want to?” Candy asks with a smile, and they both look her way, their faces softening. She’s been looking at baby stuff on her tablet, and we’re having cake to celebrate the news.

I made the cake. It’s supposed to look like a baby.

Jet has named it “Alternative Dick Cake,” so I’m guessing I wasn’t very successful. I’m working on my baking skills, okay?

I wonder why no one has tried it yet. I put marshmallows and chocolate and peanut butter in it. All the good stuff. My grandmother used to say if you use good ingredients, the food has no choice but to turn out good, too.

Then again, it’s rumored that my grandfather often suffered from food poisoning before he took off for places unknown.

Weird, right?

“Been baking a lot lately?” Joel asks. Something seems to be on his mind tonight. No clue what. “Lots of cakes?”

“And cookies,” I tell him.

Speaking of which, I wonder if Ryan tried the cookies I sent him the other day. It was supposed to be Stage Two of Phase Three of my plan, but I heard nothing from him, and I don’t know if I should change my tactics.

Or let go.

But for some reason, I can’t, and it’s not just about keeping a promise to myself like I told Riddick. That was at the beginning. Now…

Now I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.

But I’m not stopping. Can’t give up like this. I just…

“Earth to Brylee.” Jethro is waving a hand in front of me. “Anybody home?”

Given that I’m the one who found him stabbed in a back alley after his dad tried to kill him and called an ambulance and Candy to save him, he can be so annoying sometimes.

I’m sure I’d still have saved him, though, having known this.

Pretty sure.

“I said, you’ve been spending some time with Riddick,” Jethro says. “Is everything okay?”

“With me, or him?”