Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

“If I don’t break up with them for her, then she’ll just ignore them. Then they stalk her apartment. It’s better if I just pretend I’m her and end the relationship before things get out of control.”

Deciding to keep my nose out of her business, I don’t point out that Bora breathes truth into that evil twin theory. Instead, I tug my shirt over my head. I can’t believe I have to go out with Corbin.

“So Corbin and you… Last night?” Bo asks suddenly, causing me to stumble over my own feet on my way to my bedroom. I turn around to see her standing behind me now, smiling behind her glass of vodka. “Your walls aren’t thin, but they aren’t soundproof either,” she adds, winking at me.

“Really don’t want to talk about that. I triple dared him to forget it, so he has no choice but to remain silent. Since I can’t do that with you, my only other option would be to cut your tongue out.”

I eye her, and she snickers like I’m not being serious. Okay. Okay. So I wouldn’t really cut her tongue out, but I’d totally tape her mouth shut.

“You could have warned me he was on his way to my shop today, by the way,” I add before turning back and heading toward my room again.

She follows, chuckling behind me. “You could have warned me he was going to walk out in his boxers this morning and make me feel like a freaking idiot. I only considered it fair turnabout.”

An image of Bo turning ten shades of red with Corbin in nothing but his boxers comes to mind, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Yeah, I don’t feel guilty at all about not warning you,” she grumbles, apparently knowing what I’m picturing and why I’m so amused.

“You’ve seen him in his boxers before. It’s all he slept in back when he used to visit me in college.”

A sour taste invades my mouth just mentioning college, and my smile falls. College is supposed to be some of the best times of your life, but all it was to me was the darkest period of my life.

“Yeah, but he wasn’t quite as… Well, he’s really grown up.”

“Physically,” I mumble while rifling through my closet, pushing the hangers over with much more force than necessary.

“Says the girl who is still playing a weird game of triple dare,” Bo points out quickly. “And denying what she feels for a guy.”

“I’m not denying anything. I know exactly how I feel for Corbin. He knows it too. But you remember what he did, Bo. You’re the only one I’ve ever told. You also remember how bad I got for a while. You really think I want to ever go through that again?”

Her humor flees, and she sobers before tensing her lips.

“Sorry. I remember. I was just hoping he changed. It seems like he has.”

Giving her a sad smile, I shrug. “I thought that every time I took him back. I kept hoping I was the ‘special’ one for him. There’s just so much… chemistry between us that I thought we were the exception to every petty issue out there. But in the end, we’re just two normal people with too many obstacles.”

Sighing, she watches me as I change outfits, and I look in the mirror to stare at the cleavage showing. Hell no. This is way too sexy. Normally I would wear this just to fuck with Corbin, but I’m not playing games anymore.

Our games finally ended in the disaster I’ve always feared.

“Was the sex at least good?” Bo asks as I reach for a shirt that will make me look like I just escaped the convent.

I try not to pout or whimper. Damn Corbin.

“It would have been just ‘good’ with anyone else, but since it was Corbin, it was… well, freaking epic,” I confess while blowing out a breath and pulling on a pair of shapeless jeans I never thought I’d wear. Definitely not appealing.

“Are you trying to look like you just stepped out of a hobo magazine?”

I love how quickly she shifts subjects, and I laugh.

“Unappealing is what I’m going for.”

“Because the sex was epic?” she asks as a violent buzzing rattles.

I just nod absently, and reach for my phone that I’ve left haphazardly lying on my bedroom floor. My entire body tenses when I see it’s a message from Corbin. Maybe he’s cancelling?

As soon as I read what it says, I groan out loud.

CORBIN: Meow ;)

That asshole!

“What?” Bo asks while I scowl at the phone.

“I’m going to kill him,” I grumble before angrily typing back a message.

ME: You only have 5 of those left. You sure you want to waste it tonight?

It’s a pathetic attempt to get out of it, but maybe. Just maybe…

My phone lights up immediately with a new message.