Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

“I’m not,” I say, acting bored. “I just didn’t want her to kill someone. She didn’t realize that stripping gets you unwanted attention.”

Ruby rolls her eyes before going back to her interrupted conversation with Rain, and I glare daggers at Maverick and Jax, who are both watching me with unmasked curiosity, waiting for me to react. I flip them both off when I stand up, and Maverick laughs under his breath.

As if I needed a reminder of the hell I suffered that day when I spent a fortune on lap dances from Ruby. Just thinking about it makes me need another cold shower.

I might as well live in the damn shower stall.

Just as I make it to the deck railing, Jax moves over toward Ruby as she talks about the shop. He may really just want a new tattoo, but I don’t like them talking. So… I decide to ruin the conversation with the push of a button and an evil grin.

CHAPTER 23

RUBY

“I’d like to get it on my back,” Jax tells me, talking about his latest tat idea.

Funny how he doesn’t seem the least bit interested in me when Corbin’s not around. It makes me wonder how much Corbin has told him, since Jax seems to like fucking with him so much.

“Yeah. We can set something—”

My words end on a surprised squeal as I clutch the table and move off the chair so fast that it flips over. Oh holy shit. I wish I had worn a skirt. These jeans are just pressing the panties against me that much harder.

The vibrations halt suddenly, and I take a breath to replace the ones I’ve heaved out.

“You okay?” Rain and Jax both ask, confusion clearly etched on their faces.

My eyes cut toward Corbin, and he’s smirking while crossing his arms over his chest. Kode comes up to start talking to him, and I take a calming breath, remembering I’m not allowed to tell anyone I’m wearing panties that vibrate.

After picking my chair up, I slowly lower myself back down.

“Yeah,” I tell them with a forced smile. How the hell do I explain that?

“So about the tat? Think you can pencil me in? Your guys say you’re already booked for the next six months.”

“I can definitely—” Oh fuck! My entire body hums as I lift back out of the chair quickly, feeling the vibrating assault once again. Corbin is going to kill me slowly.

“What’s that noise?” Jax asks, but I ignore him because I know what that noise is. It’s not like I’m going to point to my crotch and let them figure it out.

“I can definitely… squeeze you in,” I say with labored, harsh breaths. I know I sound ridiculous, but… oh shit. Right there. Right…

The vibrations stop, and I don’t know whether to curse Corbin or thank him. It’s not like I want to have a public orgasm, but I also hate the teasing torture.

“What noise are you talking about?” Rain asks him.

“Well, I don’t hear it now,” he says, confused, no longer concentrated on the tattoo conversation.

I move away from the table, not even bothering to make an excuse as to why I’m abandoning them, and I rush over to a far corner of the patio area next to Wren’s fence, hoping I’m out of range of that remote.

Britt walks over to me right as Bella comes out of a side door.

“Who put Baby in the corner?” Bella asks, and I cock an eyebrow in confusion.

“What?” I ask, distracted as I try to watch Corbin’s hand.

“No one puts Baby in the corner,” she says in a deeper voice, as if that’s supposed to suddenly make me understand what she’s talking about.

“You’ve lost me, Bella.”

Britt smiles. “Good. I thought I was the only one confused.”

Bella looks at both of us like we’re straight from outer space. “It’s from the movie. You know? Dirty Dancing.”

I groan, because apparently it’s a chick flick, given the quote. “Great. Now you sound like Corbin Fucking Sterling.”

“Why do they call him that?” Britt asks seriously.

As if we share a mind at that moment, Bella and I both answer, “Because he is Corbin Fucking Sterling.”

Then we both start laughing when we realize what we just did. Britt still looks confused, so I shrug. “It started when he was in high school. He was untouchable on the football field. For a while, they shouted to stop number eighty-eight. His name grew more popular because of how good he was, so they stopped saying his number and started calling him out by name. That’s how you know you’re good—every team knows your name. The other teams would be saying, ‘Someone stop Corbin Fucking Sterling!’ It seemed to happen every single game. You could hear a coach from various opposing teams shouting it. Eventually, it stuck.”

I smile, thinking back to the times when Dad would let me stay out of school on a Friday so I could take a trip back to the shore and watch Corbin play.