Page 87 of The Brave and the Reckless

I’d gotten a sparkly white prom dress at Goodwill. Two thin straps held it on my shoulders while the skirt fluffed out around my thighs in an explosion of tulle. With the updo and the plastic crown on my head, I looked like a cartoon ballerina.

“What are you?” I asked when Sanny opened the door in a beige tank top and green cargo pants. His hair was parted down the middle and big round glasses balanced on his nose. “Nerd soldier?”

He heaved a deep sigh. “It’s Milo. I knew it only worked as long as I’m glued to Zuri’s side.”

As if on command, Zuri materialized next to him in a shimmering silver wig and a tiny blue two-piece co-ord. They wore matching glowing pendants around their necks, and that finally made it click.

They were dressed like the couple inAtlantis, Sanny’s favorite film growing up.

“If this is the twenty-first-century version of the Princess Leia bikini, if he’s making you wear this against your will, blink twice,” I told Zuri.

She laughed and drew me into one of her hugs, perfect and soft and only slightly awkward considering she was wearing a tiny tube skirt and tinier tube top.

“Don’t be silly. It’s his birthday present.” She fluttered her lashes at my brother and that told me everything I needed to know.

“Please spare me the details,” I laughed and shoved the little gift bag at Sinan. “Happy birthday!”

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Don’t get too excited. I literally got this in one of the park gift shops.” I’d noticed his wallet falling apart and Bravetown had some leather ones that seemed durable enough. Plus, staff discount.

“Ah, you’re joining an age-old tradition.” He looped his arm around my neck. His breath already smelled like whiskey and the party had only started twenty minutes ago. He pulled me down the hallway to the large living room with windows overlooking the town square. Back home, this room alone would be rented as a loft shared between four people. I’d know. I’d checked rent prices before agreeing to move here for the summer. “You work here long enough, you’ll find yourself drinking from Bravetownmugs, wearing Bravetown socks and somehow never running out of Bravetown gift-shop cookies. Case in point.”

He lifted a plate of pink-frosted cowboy-hat cookies from the side table of gifts, where I noticed at least two more boxes of cookies with bows on them.

I grabbed one and let him lead me over to some of our friends on the sofa. Adriana, dressed as some superhero in a red leotard and pink tights, narrowed her eyes at me when I refused a drink and bit into my sugar cookie instead.

“I’m not pregnant,” I groaned.

“Ugh.” She grimaced. “He’s rubbing off on you.”

I stilled, but it didn’t look like anyone else had tracked her words. The others were chatting and laughing and doing shots over some dice game. It wasn’t hard to guess who she was talking about. Not a lot of other cast or staff members refused a drink. After the bits and bobs Noah had dropped about his absentee father, it wasn’t hard to guess why he generally preferred staying sober and only indulged in a beer here or there.

“Relax. My lips are sealed. You could have told me though.” She patted my thigh. “Just don’t become too boring, okay? These country boys will wife you up and put a bun in your oven like that.” She snapped her fingers in the air.

“Thanks for the advice,” I mumbled and stuffed my face with another bite of sugar cookie. So not what I needed to hear right now.

I was definitely going to get drunk later. I needed to let loose. Have fun. Dance on the table or something. I just had to get the whole sex-tape conversation over first.

My eyes kept darting to the door whenever the bell rang,but Noah was noticeably absent from the party. By my third or fourth sugar cookie, the music got so loud that it completely drowned out any other sound, and I had to remind myself to periodically check the room. He might not come over to me on his own if he was trying to keep up the pretense.

Staying sober made the party a lot less enjoyable. Especially when a mermaid and a gorilla started grinding against each other in the middle of the living room and everyone went wild for it.

“Oh, come on dude, that doesn’t count as a costume!” Sinan shouted from the far end of the sofa.

I followed my brother’s attention to the large silhouette darkening the living room doorway. My insides shot heat down to my abdomen faster than my brain could process Ace Ryder striding into the room. And it was Ace Ryder. Dark hat, black bandana mask, long leather coat, and the shift in his hips and tilt to his chin that wasnothinglike Noah.

“Better than yours,” he retorted in that dark, gravelly voice.

Oh. Fuck. There went my ovaries.

His gaze locked on to mine. I couldn’t see behind his mask, but judging by that little crease under his eyes, he was grinning.

That bastard knew exactly what he was doing to me.

“And what are you?” he asked.

“Three guesses.” I tapped my pink plastic scepter against my pink plastic crown.

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