Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

“You gonna tell me why you’re really acting like this?”

I cross my arms over my chest, waiting on her to answer.

She looks up and cocks an eyebrow at me, and I see a hint of anger there. What have I done now?

“You really want a triple dare?” she asks instead of answering my question. “Because it won’t be pretty if you keep pressing me. Either give me a little space for a few days, or I’ll give you a triple dare that you won’t do.”

Ha! Like there’s anything I won’t do.

“I’ll go with option number two.” I smirk, and her lips twitch.

A piece of confidence slips away when her eyes spark with mischief. She once made me jump in an aquarium full of dolphins all because I told her I’m fucking terrified of dolphins. Why I confess these things to her, I’ll never know.

The point is that nothing can be worse than that.

“You’re sure?” she asks, taking a step closer, those hauntingly perfect eyes staring into mine.

There’s my Ruby. Fearless, challenging, sexy as fucking hell…

Bending over to where I’m face-level with her, I get close enough to feel her breath brushing across my lips. My dick reminds me why that’s a painfully bad idea when it strains against my jeans, but I ignore it, hoping she doesn’t see the effect she still has on me.

“Positive. I can handle anything as long as you promise to stop being mad at me.”

Her lips lift ever so slightly, and I admit it’s the evilest grin I’ve ever seen. Maybe this is stupid, but I need her to get out her turn so we can be okay.

“Fine,” she says on a weary exhale, as though it pains her to do this, but I see the wicked, excited gleam in her eyes.

Then she speaks, and the triple dare she unleashes rocks my world in a way I wasn’t expecting. I’m fairly sure I’ve never jerked back from her so quickly, and my eyes are as wide as saucers as I stare at her in disbelief.

“No,” I say in a whisper, thinking surely I’ve heard her wrong.

“You said anything,” she reminds me, enjoying the hell out of this right now.

“Anything but this,” I amend, already regretting that stupid-as-fuck statement.

She feigns a yawn, having the audacity to act bored after giving me the most life-altering, sadistic, unthinkably wrong triple dare in history.

“Fine,” she drawls before putting out her hand. “Then you can hand over your box whenever.”

I glare at her, and her lips twitch as though she’s fighting with all her strength not to smile right now. We’ve only ever recanted a few triple dares because we felt we’d gone too far. This is past too fucking far, but I know she won’t recant it, because she warned me.

I was just too stupid to listen, and I kept pushing.

Evil. Fucking evil.

I don’t know if I want to strangle her or kiss her. Obviously I don’t do either.

“Fine,” I bite out through clenched teeth.

“Fine? You mean I actually win?” she asks, her smile finally spreading, even though a hint of disappointment flashes in her eyes. “I guess it’s about time this game was over.”

Cracking my neck to one side, I continue to rein in my need to throttle her. She really should know me better than that by now.

“No. I meant fine; I’ll do the damn triple dare. You’re not touching my box.”

“That sounds dirty!” Maverick calls from inside the house.

Jackass.

Ruby smothers a laugh with her hand, and I lean past her to shut the door so my douchebag cousin doesn’t get any more entertainment out of this than he already has.

A litany of curses and idle threats leave my lips as I make my way to the car, and maybe I flip her off like I’m fifteen again.

Might as well get this over with.

“I so can’t wait to see this,” she says from behind me as she snickers.

I think I might hate her a little bit right now.

“Just remember it’s my turn next,” I say, loving her sharp intake of breath that follows that reminder.

My conniving smile takes place of my scowl because my next dare will be epic. She’s going to hate every second of it. Well, almost every second.

CHAPTER 7

RUBY

“You think he’s really going to go through with it?” Bella asks me.

I like this chick. She’s a lot like me but with less attitude and ink. She’s also hung out with me since Corbin squealed tires away from Maverick’s house.

“He said he would,” I tell her nervously, wringing my hands in my lap.

I honestly never thought he would go through with it. I’ve never used that one simply because it was supposed to end our game. Today… Today I felt weak.

I can’t ever be weak with Corbin again.

And I am right now. Every time he’s close, conflicting emotions war inside me. He’s my safe place and my disaster zone all wrapped up in a dangerous body and armed with a devastating smile.