Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

Dad grins before kissing Wanda’s cheek, and he returns his attention to the stage where a band is playing. Well, damn. I know one of those singers. Base Masters—Tag’s cousin. Great. Even this place has something here to make me think of Corbin.

Dad peels his label off his fresh beer as soon as the waitress brings it, and I let it distract me for a moment. He always does that for some reason. I look back at Wanda and see a smile spreading across her face as she stares over my shoulder.

“Well, I think you might have been wrong, dear,” she says.

While taking a sip of my beer, I turn to look over my shoulder, and I spray out every drop of the drink when I see a cocky son of a bitch smirking at me from across the bar. How the hell did he find me?

“Sorry. I didn’t realize you were hiding from him,” Wanda says innocently, lying her ass off. That traitor invited him. She probably called as soon as I told them I was coming.

“Didn’t I tell you not to meddle?” my dad grunts from behind me.

“Do I ever listen to you?”

I wish she did listen.

Corbin makes his way to our table, never letting his eyes leave mine. A girl puts herself in his path, but he just walks around her like he never sees her.

“Now that’s hot,” Wanda chirps, to which my dad grunts again.

My eyes stay locked on his, and he keeps that smirk in place until he finally breaks eye contact to look toward my parents. An easy grin takes the place of his cocky smirk.

“Wanda, you look beautiful as always. Jim, you look scary as hell.”

Dad’s lips twitch, but he leans back in his chair, focusing all his attention on the band. Wanda grins and blushes, just like always.

“Love the new hair,” Wanda gushes, “but your longer locks are still my favorite.”

Corbin groans and… did he just whimper? That has me smiling.

“It’ll grow back,” he says on a sigh, casting a dark look my way.

I feign boredom, hoping he doesn’t mention what happened the last time we saw each other. Not that he’s stupid enough to mention it in front of my father. Dad threatened to tattoo my name on his dick if he ever broke my heart again.

It isn’t an empty threat.

Dad whispers something to Wanda before tugging her onto his lap, and Corbin seizes the opportunity to lean over to my ear. Every muscle in my body tenses, terrified of what he might say.

When the heat of his breath whispers across my skin, chills rise, and I swallow against the instant knot in my throat.

“You look hot,” he says, kissing the exposed flesh of my shoulder. “Remember it’s my turn on triple dares now, and you’ve been avoiding me. Be glad I’m not calling you out on that, since my last triple dare was you spending as much time as possible with me.”

Crap. I forgot about that.

However, I didn’t forget it’s his turn to triple dare me.

I could totally pretend I don’t remember giving him a triple dare—a wasted triple dare—but I don’t. It’s pointless. It’ll mean talking about it, and I don’t want that.

What do I say to that? And why is he kissing my shoulder again? Does he not know what that does to me? His lips make smart girls turn stupid.

Him being here will definitely hinder my original mission—finding someone else to take the edge off. Corbin won’t allow that, and no guy will fuck with a Sterling this close to Sterling Shore.

“Not speaking to me?” he asks, putting his lips against my ear again as he moves my hair out of his way, letting his fingers graze skin along the way.

“Why are you so close?” I ask him, narrowing my eyes. “Boundaries, Corbin.”

“You triple dared me to kiss you, Ruby. You fucked up the boundaries.”

Annnd now we’re discussing the one thing I don’t want to discuss.

“I was drunk. You know how I get.”

“With me only,” he quickly interjects. “You wanted more than a kiss. You still want that?”

The hell is he doing to me?

“That’s not funny, Corbin,” I growl, glad that the music is too loud for my father to overhear this conversation.

“I’m not trying to be funny.”

A shiver starts at the top of my spine and travels all the way down to my core, sparking all along the way like a live force.

“You only want me until you have me,” I remind him—and me—in a breathy sort of tone, pretending as though everything in me isn’t aching. “Start this, and we can’t be friends. You know it.”

He groans, but he wisely doesn’t try to argue.

Our friendship is seriously fucked up. Our past makes it impossible. Chemistry off the charts without any bedroom chemistry…

It just doesn’t make sense.