Triple Dare (Sterling Shore 7)

“Ruby, I—”

“Tell me in the car,” she says, her voice hoarse and weak. “I don’t want to give Lisa the satisfaction of seeing any of this.”

My heart sinks to my toes, and my fists clench.

“You really think she would do this on purpose? She doesn’t know.”

Ruby’s eyes meet mine, and I swear if anything could spontaneously combust from that gaze, I’d be ashes right now.

“I don’t believe in coincidences this big, Corbin. Apparently she hates me worse than I even realized.” She walks out, and I hear the clicking of her heels all the way down the hall as she leaves.

I groan while tossing the garment bag to a nearby chair, and I run to catch up. Mom is nowhere around, so I don’t get to tell her bye. I’ll call her later. Despite what Ruby has to think, I’ve never told anyone about that night with Chloe until recently.

No way in hell did Maverick or Jax tell my mother. Hell, Jax doesn’t even know her.

Ruby is sitting in my car when I get outside. I left the keys in the ignition, since leggings—which is just another word for fucking tights—don’t exactly have pockets.

She doesn’t look at me when I get in. She’s staring out the passenger window, and I start getting sick. I can’t lose her. I just got her back. It’s like our past is determined to be regurgitated and destroy us all over again.

“Ruby, I’m sorry. I was trying to get her out of there—”

Her humorless laughter cuts me off, and she groans dramatically while scrubbing her face with both hands. But she doesn’t cry. Hell, I haven’t seen her cry since… Since the last time.

Shit. I’ve really fucked up, and I didn’t even mean to this time.

“I’m perfectly aware of what you were trying to do,” she sighs. “I heard the entire conversation from start to finish. Lisa sent me to you as soon as you left.”

“She didn’t know—”

“Doesn’t matter if she did or didn’t,” Ruby says under her breath. “I’m not surprised, to be honest. The thing I’m surprised about is that you knew the girl, and you never even told me I might run into her in Sterling Shore. Did you invite her up there that week? If so, did you invite her before or after you told me you couldn’t see me as anything but a friend?”

I grimace, even though I deserve that.

“Of course I didn’t invite her. I was going to leave, and I ran into her. She convinced me to go to that party, and… Fuck! This is supposed to be behind us. I thought we were moving forward. I don’t want my fuck-up from six years ago to still haunt us now.”

She doesn’t say anything after that. She’s quiet all the way back to her house, and I curse when I see Bo’s car in the driveway. It’ll be impossible to talk to her in front of Bo.

CHAPTER 32

RUBY

I feel like I’m nineteen again, and my heart is just as fragile now as it was back then. Talking is impossible, because I know if I try to speak again, I’ll cry. And I don’t want to fucking cry.

I refuse.

Corbin doesn’t elaborate or explain. He just stays quiet and drives. His strength is sure as hell not communication, but I knew this before walking back into the danger zone.

Just like I knew what he’d done. Just like I knew how he was. Just like I knew everything else. I chose this, and now it’s time to deal with it like a big girl.

As soon as I can speak again without the threat of tears, I’ll do that.

He drives right past my house, and I turn my head toward him for the first time since we left. He looks so ridiculous, that my anger ebbs just a little.

Lisa The Cunt Sterling… That woman is so much more evil than I thought. I don’t know how she knew, but there’s no way she couldn’t have known.

“I want to go back home,” I manage to say, proud that I don’t burst into tears.

I really hate this feeling, and I just need a moment to myself to deal with it.

“No,” he says so simply, as though it doesn’t need an explanation.

“Corbin—”

“Don’t,” he interrupts, throwing a hand up for emphasis. “Just don’t. I’m not losing you over something as fucking crazy as this. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I knew her from Sterling Shore. She didn’t start going to our school until freshman year. I barely knew her. She was Maverick’s friend-with-benefits in high school. I—”

“You fucked a girl you knew Maverick had dated?” I ask in disbelief.

He rolls his eyes. “They never dated, Ruby. Mav isn’t exactly territorial over girls he’s fucked, and neither am I. You’re the only one I’d kill him for touching.”