Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

Wren and Dane chuckle as they stand, and Tag follows them out with Dale. I turn back to Ruby, but she’s not laughing. She’s just staring at me.

“Why did you stop when I bought my house?”

So now she wants to talk about this.

“Because I knew you were coming home for real this time. It changed the game.”

I lean over, brushing my thumb over her lip, and I wink at her as I stand. Maverick crosses his legs, playing the part of a woman a little too well, and I snicker before heading outside.

Ruby’s surprised squeal makes me smile when I click the button again, but I turn it back off as soon as I’m outside.

“Why are you smiling?” Tag asks me, studying me as I walk toward him.

“Because I love triple dare.”

***

CORBIN

Ruby is helping Allie put away the clean dishes, staying quiet like she has since the game of truth or dare ended. Tag is telling everyone goodnight, and Allie glances over her shoulder at me.

A slow grin spreads, and she casually steps out, leaving me alone with Ruby. I go up behind her just as she closes a cabinet door, and I wrap my arms around her waist before dropping my head to kiss her neck.

She immediately tenses, but I don’t pull back.

“What are you thinking?”

“Maverick doesn’t know we had sex,” she says quietly, which confuses me.

“I didn’t realize we’d had sex,” I say with a shrug, wondering if she’s trying to trick me into breaking a triple dare.

She turns in my arms, and she stares up at me. “Triple dare recanted for that.”

That shocks the hell out of me.

“Really?” I ask, and she nods. “Okay. That’s pretty fucking perfect. Because that was the best night of my life, until I woke up and you were freaking out. I’d like to repeat it without the freak out.” She starts to say something, but I quickly add, “And without the Viagra.”

She almost laughs but stops herself. “I was saying you didn’t tell Maverick about us—”

“Because you triple dared me to forget it.”

She frowns as though she’s thinking that over.

“You tell Maverick everything?” she asks, looking up again.

“Usually. Until you came home, he was usually with me, so there wasn’t much reason to actually tell him anything, because he saw it himself.”

“Didn’t know you two were that close,” she says as her nose wrinkles in disgust.

“Not like that.” I laugh, watching as her expression smooths. “We draw the line at voyeurism. That isn’t what I meant. I meant he saw when I took a girl home.”

She looks away for a second, and I immediately regret saying those words aloud. I don’t want her thinking of me with other girls.

“Why did you have him answer that question, when he didn’t even know about us? You could be sleeping with someone right now, and you’re the only one who would even know it.”

Ahh. So that’s where this is coming from.

“He was wrong. I didn’t stop screwing around when you bought the house.”

Her lips thin like she’s about to get mad, but I speak again before she can.

“I quit screwing around the first bid you put in. It became real, Ruby. Everything else was just fake.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, and I can see the war going on behind her eyes.

“If you wanted me, you could have always moved. It’s not like you actually run the Medical Supply chains you own.”

“Yeah, and I would have moved. But you didn’t want me, Ruby. I’ve been waiting for the time when you were ready for me. I know I triple dared you to forgive me in college, but let’s face it, you’ve never truly forgiven me. Not that I can blame you.”

Sighing, I thread her fingers with mine before pulling her closer.

“I have forgiven you,” she says softly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to just forget it, Corbin. Three times. We’ve tried it three times. I don’t see number four doing anything but destroying us as friends. And that girl… Seeing you with her… Right after you told me you couldn’t see me as anything but a friend.”

Her eyes have that fear in them that wouldn’t be there if I hadn’t fucked up so much. I can’t blame her for making this hard. It’s not like I deserve another chance. I was just too young to appreciate what I had or to understand how crazy perfect it was.

“I was embarrassed, Ruby. Nothing about my body worked the way I wanted it to when I was around you. I didn’t mean anything I said. I did the stupid shit I used to do back then; I said the first thing I could to deflect the attention from me.”

She takes a shaky breath before looking away, and I don’t know if she believes me or if she’s replaying that horrible image in her mind.