Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

“But what I said to Kode… I’ll never be able to take it back, and he’ll never be able to forget it. If I had said that to Dane, it might have ruined us, too. Whatever Corbin did, there could always be a reason behind it, and I can promise there’s nothing more than regret every time he thinks about it.”

I wish that was true. I really do. But Corbin wasn’t lashing out. Corbin was changing. He thinks I haven’t heard the man-whore stories all over town, but I have.

“Actually,” I tell her on a deep exhale, “Corbin did the best thing he possibly could for me. He broke my heart instead of giving me false hope. And we managed to finally see our place in each other’s lives.”

She smiles sadly, as though she’s not convinced but realizes I’m steadfast on this subject. I go back to rifling through my drawers. Tonight I have to face Corbin. I’ve put it off long enough, and the gang wants me to go out. Where there are Sterlings, there’s always Corbin.

And he’s all in my head.

Rain’s phone rings, drawing my attention back to her, and she frowns as she answers it.

“Mrs. Collins?” she asks. Her eyes widen, and she chokes on a laugh that she starts struggling to suppress. “Understood, ma’am. I completely agree.” When she struggles harder not to laugh, she starts turning an odd shade of red and purple as her body shakes with the silent riot. “Yes. Nudity is definitely crossing a line. I’ll come collect her.”

The hell?

“Care to help me get my friend off a flag pole?” she asks while putting her phone away, seconds before she erupts into laughter. “And can I borrow this?” she adds, grabbing my robe as she starts walking.

All I have are question marks forming.

“Um… Sure…” Yeah… that’s all I got.

I follow her out, even though she has issues walking and laughing. “Mrs. Collins works at the bank across the street. Apparently she doesn’t like her current view, and she saw my car over here,” she goes on, but it doesn’t explain anything.

We jog across the street, and I continue following like I have a clue what she’s talking about. She’s too busy laughing to keep explaining.

As we walk around the bank, I stumble over my own two feet, gasping in disbelief at the sight in front of me.

“Get me off this damn thing so I can go kill him!” a girl shrieks, but I’m too busy staring at the wild sight in front of me to even look at her face.

She’s naked, except for the spray cheese that she’s wearing. Yes—spray cheese. It’s sprayed over her breasts and… well, her lady parts are all covered in spray cheese like it’s a bikini. Even her ass looks to be sprayed for the most part.

Rain is on the ground, laughing so hard she can’t stand back up.

“Hurry!” the girl barks. “My cheese is melting and sliding, and that mean hag in the bank spent twenty minutes preaching to me about unhealthy relationships instead of helping me. She wouldn’t even untie me!”

Rain only laughs harder, but I shake out of my trance and pull out my keychain that’s hooked to my jeans. Glad I always carry that emergency knife on it that my father bought me.

I cut her free of the zip ties that are holding her hands behind her, and then I lean down to do the same to her feet. I’ve never been so close to another girl’s naked ass unless I was inking it. Well, there’s cheese on it, so I don’t guess it’s completely naked.

Weirdest. Day. Ever.

“How did he… Why did he…” Rain’s words fail her because she’s still laughing too hard.

“That bastard put allergy medicine in my coffee. It knocks me out every time. I woke up just as he was walking off, and I realized I was wearing spray cheese and nothing else. He’s dead, Rain. Dead!”

Just as I get the last of the zip ties undone, the girl stumbles forward, rubbing her wrists as she glares at Rain.

“Stop laughing! You’re supposed to be helping me.”

Rain staggers to her feet, wiping her tears away as she continues to laugh, and she hands the girl the robe. The girl quickly pulls it on, and I decide she can keep it. No way do I want the cheesy robe back.

She turns to face me, rolling her eyes when Rain breaks back into hysterical laughter.

“You must be Ruby,” she says, eyeing my arms of tats. I didn’t even bother pulling on another shirt over my tank when we rushed out here.

I just nod, still having a problem forming words for this bizarre turn of events.

She thrusts her hand forward, expecting me to shake it. The spray-cheese-bikini girl has manners at least. “I’m Brin.”

That’s when it all clicks, and a smile slowly crawls across my face. “That explains so much.”