Innocent Princess (Modern Princess Collection Book 2)

by Lauren Helms

  I pull my unfocused gaze from the courtyard below and turn to walk toward the door. I grab my bag and pass the table. I can't help the lingering disappointment that she wasn't here. Maybe I should get her phone number, then I could have asked when she was going to be here.

  I could have her number. It would be super simple to get. Hell, I'm sure after some sweet talking, I could get it from Wells, but I'd really like to do things the old-fashioned way with her.

  Several minutes later, I cut through the courtyard and unexpectedly spot Zella across the way. She's lying out on a large blanket, leaning back on her arms, her legs stretched out in front of her. Her hair is braided and hanging back behind her. Her face is upturned to the sun, as if soaking up all the warm fall heat. I'm too far to make out her expression, but I'm guessing there is a smile on her face.

  Two reasons lead me to that assumption: she's always smiling, and Cameron is sitting next to her. After the night in the library when I found out Cameron and Zella grew up together, I feel at ease in regard to their relationship. However, the past week or so, Cameron's gone out of his way to turn up the charm when I'm around. I'm about eighty percent sure he's fucking with me. It's enough to keep me on alert.

  I really want to like the guy, he's a cool dude, but my mind is made up. I want Zella, and I don't want to fight against a childhood best friend. He'd have an unfair advantage.

  I can't keep my eyes from her though. She's so beautiful. In the sun, she nearly glows. The way the light shines down on her makes it nearly impossible to look anywhere else. Fortunately, I don't need to look away in order to move a little to my right to a bench, one of many placed sporadically throughout the courtyard path.

  Call it creepy—hell, watching her from afar is creepy as fuck—but I'm just close enough that I can study her without risking getting caught.

  I'm lost in the moment when I hear a voice next to me.

  "The creeper vibe isn't a good look on you, man."

  Wells. Fucking Wells. This should be fun.

  I tear my eyes from Zella, swivel my head toward him, and glare. He's sitting right next to me. I'm surprised I didn't hear him approach or notice him take a seat.

  "Why would you think I'm a creeper? Can’t a dude just chill on a bench in the middle of the day?" I grumble my point.

  He chuckles at my disdain. I give him the stink eye; I've got sunglasses on, so I doubt he catches it.

  I turn my attention back toward Zella but make a point not to look at her. We are quiet for a few moments before he breaks the silence.

  "I'm happy you are helping her find her parents." He looks out over the yard, talking to me but not directly.

  "Does that mean I'm back on your good side now?" I smirk at the dig. I know it's going to take a lot more than helping a chick find her parents to bring my best friend and I back to where we started.

  He grunts. "You're on the right track. Though, I'm still not condoning all the ways you are breaking the law to find the information you need."

  Tipping my head, I give him that one. He does not want the details.

  "Not that your feelings or thoughts matter in this; she deserves to know who her parents are and who she is. If the only way for her to find that out is with my help, I'll do whatever it takes." And I will. I fought it at first, opting for the "it's too risky" route, but seeing the look of hope in her eyes when she found out I was digging around was enough to push me all the way in.

  I can feel Wells’s eyes on me; the side of my face starts to burn with his attention. I don't give him mine.

  "She's too innocent for you, Ryk. I know you teeter on the line of right and wrong, and I know you'd never do anything to hurt her on purpose, but she's delicate. I see the way you look at her…" he trails off.

  "And how's that?" I bite down on my anger. He's looking out for her. If anyone knows me, it's him, but I don't like what he's implying.

  "Like you want to devour her. Fuck man, you're sitting on a bench watching her. When was the last time you sat on a bench watching the world around you? You hide out in your room or empty classrooms doing God knows what on that computer you are attached to. When was the last time you got to know a girl enough to have a crush on her?"

  "Who said anything about a crush?" I quip. He's got a point though. This isn't my scene. I'm pretty much a loner.

  He makes a dismissive sound. "You've got it bad, brother."

  "If it wasn't for you recently hooking back up with Louisa, I would have said the same thing about you." I give him the side-eye checking to see how my words landed.

  He sighs and gives a quick shake of his head. "I'll be the first to admit that Zella is attractive. There's something about her that screams for you to notice her."

  The truth flowing from his mouth seeps in and hits every jealous bone within me. I'm not the only one who's interested. I've seen guys on campus turn and look her way. This isn't news to me.

  Wells continues, "Even if it weren't for the fact that she friend-zoned me in the first five minutes of meeting her, I'm not right for her."

  I stare at him. For one, after spending one dinner with them, I knew she'd friend-zoned him. However, I'm interested in why he doesn't think he's right for her.

  He reads my mind, turns toward me and sighs. "You, on the other hand, are exactly what she needs. Be careful with her." With that, he stands, claps me on the shoulder, and adds, "Stop being a creeper and ask her on a date. She'll say yes." Then he walks toward the girl in question, leaving me to watch his retreating form.

  I'm exactly what she needs? Why? I must say it out loud because he stops, looks over his shoulder, and says, "Because you would give her the adventure she desperately needs."

  I sit there for a moment and chew on his parting words. Could I give her adventure? How does a guy, whose main source of entertainment comes from breaking down codes and firewalls and playing around in the deep web where he doesn't belong, bring adventure to a girl who's been sheltered and lied to her entire life?

  I shake the thoughts away, stand to join them, and maybe take Wells up on his suggestion to ask Zella on a date. As I get closer to the group, Cameron walks toward me. He's got his backpack slung over his shoulder, so I assume he's leaving. I take the opportunity to set the record straight on where he stands with Zella.

  As he passes me with a nod, I stop him. "Hey, so you and Blondie are just friends, right? Or is there something more going on?"

  Cameron wastes no time before throwing his head back and laughing. Once he gets himself under control, he answers, "Don't worry. She's not the one I'd be interested in." He smirks and walks off in the direction I just came from.

  Interesting.

  So, that means he's not going to be an issue, right?

  9

  Zella

  I carefully smudge the charcoal to add depth to the drawing I'm working on for my class. I'm sitting in my window in the tower switching between two of my favorite things: drawing and people watching. I don't have any more classes today, so I came to the tower about an hour ago. I'm about done with the drawing when the door swings open.

  I snap my head toward the door to see who it is. I know who I want it to be.

  Ryker pops his head in, and the grin on his face causes a rapid-fire beat in my chest.

  "Hey there, Blondie." He walks all the way in and closes the door behind him. "I was hoping you were here."

  "Oh, yeah?" He was looking for me? I tramp down the excitement building in my stomach.

  "Do you realize that you never gave me your number?" He carefully places his satchel on top of the desk.

  I scrunch up my face. "Uh. I didn't even think about it. You're right, but you could have gotten it if you really wanted to, right?" I mean, it's his thing.

  "Blondie." He places his hands upon his chest and stumbles back a step. "I'm hurt that you'd think such a thing. I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy. I'll wait until you're ready to give it to me."

  I shake my head but smile. "You're exactl
y the kind of guy who would find a girl's number by hacking into the school directory."

  His eyebrow dips. "You wound me."

  "Is this your way of asking for my number?"

  He walks toward me with his hands in his jean pockets. "Nope." He pops the word as he says it.

  "Uh, huh." I cross my arms. "Would you like my phone number, Ryker?"

  He's standing next to me, staring out the window when he shrugs. "Nah. I've already got it."

  I can't help it. I reach up and push him. From my angle in the seat, I know the force isn't strong, but he pretends it is as my hand moves away from his upper arm. He's got a huge smile on his face when he looks down at me.

  That smile is real; it's not the smolder he pulls out when he's trying to get me to swoon. But a real smile, one I cause by just being me. It does things to me. Mostly, it causes warmth to pool deep in my belly.

  I cock my head at him. "Do you really already have it?"

  His return smile tells me all I need to know. "Nah, I wanted you to be the one to give it to me." He lifts a shoulder as if his reply isn't one of the sweetest things ever.

  I smile up at him. Trying to tamper down my inner girl, who's doing a happy dance and squealing over him wanting my phone number.

  He nods to the large sketch pad in my lap. I look down to study my work, a charcoal drawing of the inside of this very tower. I'm actually quite pleased with it.

  "Will you draw me like one of your French girls?"

  When I look up at him, his eyes are sparkling and he's sucking in a smile. My face scrunches, and I mentally try to figure out why the line sounds vaguely familiar.

  "Please tell me you were able to watch movies back home. I know you were sheltered, but..." he trails off and scrubs a hand over his chin.

  I can't fight back my laugh. He's cute.

  I did watch movies all the time, and I remember what movie he's quoting now.

  "As long as you promise to never let go." The relief on his face makes me roll my eyes good-naturedly.

  I shake my head. "O ye, of little faith."

  He smirks, but then something happens. We stare at each other, grins on our faces, saying nothing. My heart starts to beat harder as the moments tick on. He's smiling at me, I at him, and I couldn't be happier than at this moment. My body is drawn to his, though I don't let myself move. My fingers itch to reach for him, but I slide them underneath me, sitting on them and trapping them.

  He snaps out of it first, his grin disappearing. Before my own can falter, he flashes me an all-knowing smirk. Whatever is about to fall from his mouth will probably be entertaining. He's so darn charming even his arrogance makes me smile. I'm almost always smiling when I'm around him.

  "I came up here to find you for a reason." He balls his hands into fists at his sides.

  "Yeah? What's that?" I place my sketch pad to my side, so it's no longer in my lap.

  "Brace yourself, Sweetheart."

  And I do, I grip the edge of the window beneath me, waiting patiently for his news.

  He smiles slowly as he says, "I found your parents."

  My eyes widen. I take a second, and then another, and then another to process what he said. "You mean..." I trail off, unable to let myself believe it.

  "Yeah." He nods, understanding laced on his face.

  It all sinks in. He found my birth parents.

  Oh, my God.

  I launch myself off the window and into his arms. I don't feel the floor under me, only Ryker's arms as he catches me. I pull him into me while I laugh, which is uncontrolled excitement mixed with shock. He's laughing too, most likely at my erratic behavior. I'm hugging him as if my life depends on it. Just as I start to worry that maybe I'm going overboard, I feel him hugging me back just as tightly.

  I lean back, bringing us face to face. I gaze into his eyes. "Ryker. You have no idea how happy this makes me." I'm fearful my smile may split my face in two.

  "Oh, I think I can guess, Blondie." He doesn't let me go. We just stand there, well he stands there, me in his arms, nearly nose to nose, smiling at one another.

  His gaze drops to my mouth, and I bite my bottom lip on impulse. I want to kiss him so badly. I start to lean in just as my phone pings with an incoming text.

  How such a tiny noise has the ability to break such a massive moment between us, I don't know, but his grip lightens as I slide down and out of his arms.

  I ignore the alert on my phone. I'm way too interested in what he has on my parents to care. I take a few steps back and lean against the window.

  "So, tell me everything." I pull a piece of wayward hair from my braid and twist it around my finger.

  "Their names are Fred and Anna Corners. They live in Golden Springs, Texas."

  I repeat their names, trying them out for the first time.

  Ryker continues, "It's about a fifteen-hour drive from here."

  Fifteen hours, that's so close yet so far away.

  "They also know about you."

  I straighten at this. "I would hope so, but explain." I motion with my hand for him to go on.

  "I reached out to them. I needed to make sure it was the right Fred and Anna. So, they know you were looking for them."

  "What... what does that mean?" I stumble over my words.

  "It means they want to meet you." His voice is soft, but I can read the underlying tone. He's concerned.

  I chew on my lip. They want to meet me.

  Meet me.

  This is nearly information overload. My overactive thinking is interrupted when Ryker clears his throat.

  "Are you mad that I contacted them before I told you?" I slide my gaze to his worried face.

  I think about it for a moment. "No, I'm not mad. I'm not sure I would have been able to reach out to them had you put the ball in my court. So, thank you."

  He lets out a relieved breath and starts to say something just as Cameron walks through the door. He doesn't hang out with me a lot up here, but he occasionally does. I'm guessing he might have been the one texting me moments ago.

  "There you are. I was waiting for you." He stops, then looks between Ryker and me. "What did I just walk in on?"

  "Ryker found my parents."

  "Shut the front door!" Cameron walks to the table and plops down on top of it, his feet on the chair.

  "Fred and Anna Corners. They want to meet me," I tell him. I sneak a peek at Ryker, he looks right back at me, but he looks slightly uncomfortable.

  "Wowzers," Cameron mutters then asks, "When?"

  Shoot, that's a good question. I turn to Ryker, but I don't have to ask.

  "Actually, Fred is heading out on a month-long business trip. They were hoping to meet you this weekend."

  My jaw hits the floor.

  Cameron lets out a whistle.

  "This weekend?" I repeat.

  Ryker looks sheepish when he replies, "Yeah, I told them I didn't know. You'd have to miss some classes, but they really want to meet you. Now that you know you exist, they are chomping at the bit."

  "Where do they live?" Cameron asks, and Ryker answers while I mull all of this over.

  I've only known about them for a few months, but in those months, I've dreamed about meeting them. I was worried they wouldn't want to have anything to do with me, but it feels like that's not the case at all.

  This is all so fast, but isn't that better?

  The boys let me think. Ryker stands quietly next to me, Cameron still on the table. Just as I'm about to tell them I'm ready, Cameron whistles again.

  "So, bad news. Airfare to Texas is stupid high."

  I bite my lip. "Like how high?"

  "Like eight hundred a ticket. It's normally more like three hundred." He's still scrolling through his phone.

  Ryker leans on the sill beside me. "Have you ever flown before, Zella?"

  I pinch my lips together as I turn my head and shake it. "No, it's on my bucket list, but I'm not sure I'm mentally and emotionally ready to just hop on a plane in two days.
"

  His gentle smile matches the soft feel of his fingers as they brush mine where they rest on the sill between us. My eyes briefly flicker to our touching fingers then back up to him.

  "I get it."

  "You could always road trip it," Cameron offers still staring at his phone completely oblivious to the moment Ryker and I are having.

  "I don't have a car." Mother was unwilling to let me bring my car with me since she said I was betraying her by leaving. So, Cameron and I packed up my life into his tiny sedan and called it a day.

  Ignoring me, Cameron adds, "You'd want to leave tomorrow though. Stay in a hotel somewhere, then finish the drive Friday morning. If you leave Sunday afternoon, you'll make it back Monday night. You'd miss three days of class."

  "Cameron, I don't have a car." He knows this. No way would he let me take his for a road trip.

  "Duh, Zella. But Ryker does."

  I straighten.

  I'm scared to look at Ryker, what Cameron just suggested is crazy. There's no way. I laser focus on Cameron; he and Ryker are having some kind of silent conversation. Cameron is fighting back a grin. Maybe he did catch our moment earlier.

  Ryker looks at me, his face impossible to read. "I'll take you."

  I take my time replying. I don't want to sound hopeful, because the last thing I want is for him to be taking me out of pity. But if he wanted to take me because he wanted to be there with me, that has me hopeful. "You would take me?" I ask carefully.

  "I was planning on it, whether it was on a plane or driving you myself."

  "You were?" I swallow the lump in my throat.

  "Yeah, Blondie. I'm in this one-hundred percent. I've already mapped out the trip."

  I fight back tears because I don't want to scare him away with my emotional state. But what he's done for me and still doing means the world. So, I offer him a watery-eyed look.

  Cameron clears his throat breaking through the silence. "Then it's settled. You two are heading to Texas. You sure you're good with missing so much class, Zella?" A laugh plays on his lips. I detest missing class, or even being late to class, but this is a huge, life-changing event. Meeting my biological parents is so much more important than three days of class.