Perfectly Toxic (Sterling Shore 9)

The men’s locker room is surprisingly empty, and I peek around a set of lockers to see Ethan… oh shit. He’s in just his boxers.

I’m a pervert, because I just stare at his back until he’s out of sight. And then I squeal like a little bitch because there’s suddenly a guy in front of me, arching an eyebrow.

“Sorry, I, uh, got lost,” I lie.

He walks away, and I blow out a heavy breath while closing my eyes for a minute.

What the hell am I doing? I’m not Brin, and I’m not starting some weird prank war with some random guy. The old me would have definitely done something juvenile in retaliation, like steal his clothes so he has to walk out naked… But I’m not the old me.

I’m taking my life in a serious direction, and Ethan—

“Looking for something, Bella?”

—is right beside me.

I slowly open my eyes, and sure enough, he’s smirking at me while leaning over me, caging me in against the lockers.

“I guess this means you’re stalking me,” the asshole says, amused as my eyes slowly rake over all the lines of muscle, ink, and ridiculous amount of bad-for-me sexy.

He’s still in just his boxers, only his towel is no longer hanging over his shoulder. There’s a large spider web tattoo over his right pec, and I shudder when I see the spider dangling from it with red eyes. He told me he had one, but I didn’t believe him…

“Why would you get that?” I ask, reaching up and touching it before I can stop myself. It feels like there’s a scar under there, but this locker room is too dim to really get a look at it close enough.

His breath catches in his throat, and I look up to see him swallowing as though it’s difficult as he stares down at me. Immediately, I realize I’m still touching him, and I drop my hand like it’s on fire.

For the first time since I met the cockiest man in the world, he looks a little… confused? Vulnerable? Both?

But why?

“The spider?” he asks, clearing his throat as his impassive mask slips back into place, almost as though he can be a dick as long as I’m not touching him.

I just arch an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest as though I have every right to be in the boy’s locker room and asking questions about his tattoo.

“Yeah,” I finally say when he actually does seem to be struggling to answer my question.

Slowly, that cocky smirk slides back onto his full lips, and I try not to react. Physical attraction is skin deep and nothing but trouble, Bella.

“I hate spiders,” he says, drawing me out of my thoughts.

I go from cool to confused in two-point-three seconds.

“Then why get a tattoo of one?”

He shrugs, still smirking. “Because I had to do something to keep myself from staring in the mirror all day.”

I smile, which only pisses me off, and some guy walks by us, eyeing us like he’s in the wrong place. Ethan doesn’t even acknowledge him, because he’s too busy pushing closer.

I duck and spin out from under his arm, shaking my head.

“Why do you really have it?” I ask him as he turns to face me.

I try really, really hard to ignore the fact he looks so tempting right now.

“Why are you here?” he asks instead of answering me, mocking me with those dark eyes.

Damn him. And are his nipples really pierced? Why did I have to notice that? Oh shit. That’s not the only thing I notice. He’s apparently not hard to turn on, because that beast between his legs is peeking out over the top of his boxers, and he adjusts himself, giving me a tiny peek of the tip.

I totally just licked my lips.