Page 52 of Hot Chocolate & Hitmen

Key gasps dramatically, clutching his chest. “Sugar, how could you?! He was my best warrior!”

I laugh, holding up the half-eaten cookie. “It’s delicious. You win best gingerbread man.”

Key grins, clearly pleased with himself, but before he can gloat too much, I reach for another cookie–one of Atlas’s perfectly designed reindeer–and take a bite. “And Atlas wins for best reindeer.”

Atlas shrugs, but there’s a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. “I’ll take it.”

“And…” I snatch one of Teddy’s, taking a generous bite of his too, “Teddy wins best snowflake.” He flashes me a dark grin that has my pulse racing and heat pooling low, making my thighs press together on instinct.

Key’s eyes narrow as he scans the counter, the grin faltering just a little. “Wait a minute…” His gaze flicks between my innocent smile and the small tray of cookies I’ve strategically hidden behind a dish towel. “What’s going on here, Sugar? Where’s your batch?”

Teddy’s head swivels in my direction, a look of curiosity blooming on his face. “Yeah, Little One. We’ve seen our masterpieces…but where’s yours?”

Atlas, ever the observant one, leans back against the counter, crossing his arms. His voice rumbles, smooth and teasing. “She’s hiding something.”

I try to keep my expression neutral, but the corners of my mouth betray me as they twitch upward. “I’m not hiding anything.”

Teddy, ever the curious one, makes a move towards the tray, his hand hovering above the dish towel. Key’s eyes widen in realization, and his grin returns full force. “Sugar. What did you do?”

Unable to keep the secret any longer, I burst out laughing and wave my hand toward the tray. “Go ahead. Take a look.”

Teddy grabs the towel and whips it off with a flourish, revealing my creation in all its glory.

There’s a moment of stunned silence as the guys stare at the tray.

Key’s jaw drops. “Oh...my...God.”

Atlas lets out a deep, rumbling laugh, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

Teddy blinks, his eyes darting from one ridiculous cookie to the next. “Are those...?”

“Yup,” I say proudly, crossing my arms. “Christmas cocks.”

It’s an entire batch of intricately decorated Christmas-themed cocks–each cookie is more absurd than the last. One is wearing a Santa hat, another is decked out in sparkly green frosting shaped like Christmas lights, and yet another is frosted to look like it’s wrapped in a bow, ready to be unwrapped.

Key doubles over, laughing so hard he can barely breathe. “I was not ready for that!”

Teddy’s laughter bubbles up, more subdued but no less entertained. “Little One, this is...this is something else.”

Atlas steps forward, picking up one of the cookies–one frosted with little reindeer antlers at the tip. He turns it over in his hands, clearly impressed. “This one’s got...detail.”

I smirk, wiggling my eyebrows. “I aim to please.”

Key is still wheezing with laughter, clutching his stomach. “You’ve got one with a bow...like a gift...oh my God.”

I grin, pointing to that one. “Well, ‘tis the season for giving.”

Atlas shakes his head, his eyes twinkling as he carefully sets the cookie back down. “You’re full of surprises, baby.”

Key, finally pulling himself together, leans against the counter, wiping his eyes. “Okay, I take it back. Sugar wins. Hands down.”

“Thank you, thank you,” I say with a little bow.

Atlas chuckles, shaking his head in mock defeat. “I’m not sure how anything can top that.”

Teddy’s still shaking his head, staring at the cookies like he’s trying to process the sheer absurdity of them.

“I can’t believe I got out-gunned by Christmas-themed dicks. You even gave them…veins and shit. This one’s bigger than my actual dick!” Key grabs a cookie––a particularly ridiculous one that’s been frosted with glittery garland trailing around the shaft–holding it up with a dramatic flourish. “It’s going straight on the Christmas tree. It deserves to be a decoration.”

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