Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

Everyone laughs, except for Bella, who doesn’t appear to be as well versed with this group as I thought.

“Our ‘romance’ started with a drunken night in a bar and hate sex.” Tria grins. “Really good hate sex.”

Bella leans back and crosses her arms over her chest. “I give up.”

“Hey!” Brin snaps, pointing at herself. “You forgot me.”

Everyone looks at her like she’s lost her freaking mind.

Bella’s eyebrows go up as though she’s torn between grimacing and laughing. “If a guy ever ties me to a pole in nothing but a spray cheese bikini, he’s losing both balls, and I’ll ship them to different continents.”

Brin grins as though she’s fond of the memory of her and that damn prank. I’d have killed him.

“But my revenge was sooo beautiful,” Brin adds as her sweet grin turns mischievous.

Maybe Corbin and I aren’t so weird after all. Still never falling for him again.

“What’d you do to Rye?” I ask, deciding to shift the topic onto the oddest couple ever.

She continues to grin, and I half expect her to break out into maniacal laughter, but instead, she shrugs.

“Nothing much. Just nailed all his shoes to the floor, and maybe I unleashed a few scorpions. Don’t worry. They weren’t poisonous.”

And… Yeah… Our triple dares aren’t so bad.

Before she can say more, Maverick’s voice is suddenly booming through the room.

“Why is there nothing but women alone in here and no one told me?”

I roll my eyes as he leans over to kiss my head, and Rain stands up as he goes over to her. Several other people start joining us—people I don’t know even though it’s sort of my party.

Maverick wraps Rain up in his arms as he talks about Corbin’s entry. I can’t freaking wait. Well, as long as he doesn’t plan on killing me, that is.

After an hour, the room is packed with people I don’t know, and I start worrying Corbin is not going to show at all. All the guys have shown up, including Wren, who has his daughter and girlfriend with him.

Britt has also gotten here, and her eyes are on her phone. It’s clear she’s reading something.

“What are you reading?” I ask her, finding her to be the most approachable.

Social things aren’t my style.

“It’s actually a collection of scientific findings about unlocking the brain,” she states matter-of-factly, swiping her finger over the screen to turn the page like it’s riveting stuff.

Okay…

“You trying to unlock more of your brain?” I apparently suck at making conversation.

“No,” she says, smiling up at me. “I just like reading about the advancements being made in the field. It’s actually dangerous to do something like that, since we don’t know what we’d be unlocking. What if someone’s head accidentally exploded because you were trying too hard to read someone’s mind?”

And now I’m just confused.

“Yeah. That’d be a bummer. Unless you wanted their head to explode.”

Her brow furrows. “Why would you want someone’s head to explode?”

So I suck at making conversation and making jokes.

“It was… Never mind. I’ll let you get back to reading.”

I walk off from her just as Kode sidles up next to me.

“Heard Bo was in town, too.”

I nod, smiling at that. “Yeah. She got in today, but I haven’t seen her yet. She’s swamped with the headquarter move. But Pretty Posh is about to be serious competition for Colton Fashion.”

“Why didn’t she come?” he asks, but before I can remind him how Bo doesn’t like big gatherings, wolf whistles and cheers erupt throughout the large room.

I turn around, feeling my heart thump in my chest as I search for him. Catcalls get louder, clapping sounds out, and finally my eyes land on the man who pretty much slays me every time he’s nearby.

Only I wasn’t expecting him to look even sexier. Damn him.

“He fucking did it,” Kode says as he laughs. “I can’t believe he fucking did it.”

Corbin’s sleeves are rolled up as he does a twirl for everyone, wearing a smirk that doesn’t match the anger in his eyes. He’s pissed, but he wears the look well.

His jeans fit him in that way that seems to make women stare, and his hair… Double damn him.

The one thing he has always treasured is his long hair. It was his one act of rebellion against his family’s world. And he wasn’t supposed to actually get it cut.

He looks even sexier… I’m not prepared for this.

Bella walks up beside me, making a show of fanning herself.

Maybe it’s that whole new thing and it’ll wear off? Has to be it. There’s no way I can be even more attracted to him and survive.

“Well, Delilah,” Bella says as Corbin’s eyes land on mine and lock, “looks like Samson’s strength isn’t tied to his hair after all.”

CHAPTER 8

CORBIN

Ruby can’t look away, and I walk over to pull her to me, forcing her to tilt her head back to keep eye contact.