A Redo (The Sterling Shore Series #6)

by C. M. Owens

  She was watching me? When? I was watching her.

  Not the important part. I need to focus on damage control.

  “I have to go. She’s still trying on dresses. I have to manage to repair the damage before this weekend. Mom will literally kill me.”

  He laughs again as I push off from the wall.

  “You’re right; she will kill you. Again, all the more reason for me to watch the show, and I’m bringing popcorn to this party. I don’t see you lasting much longer.”

  I adjust my aching cock once again, cursing it for refusing to go down.

  “I’m so glad my frustration amuses you,” I mumble dryly.

  His laughter continues for a moment longer, but he finally says, “No, your frustration doesn’t amuse me. I feel for you in that department, dude. Been there and fuck that. But the fact you finally found someone that might rock your world… Well, I’m eager to see the fireworks. And for what it’s worth, I think it could work between you two.”

  I glance around the parking lot, wondering if I could just hide out here.

  No. No. I’m not a coward.

  “It’s too risky to find out. So stop being a dick and help me figure out a way to deal with this problem. Surely you have an answer, considering your ungodly amount of experience.”

  “Liking a girl you know you shouldn’t? You’re right; I’ve had this problem before,” he says on a sigh.

  “What’d you do?”

  “Married her.”

  Dickwad.

  “Thanks a lot,” I grumble, eliciting more laughter from him as I hang up and walk back in, not even bothering to find out why he called me to begin with.

  Allie steps out just as I near the fitting room, and I stumble over my own feet as a blush creeps up her neck. But that beautiful pink color on her neck and cheeks isn’t what has me stumbling. It’s the white dress with a split all the way up the thigh, stopping on her damn hipbone. Oh shit. There are two splits that high, leaving the middle piece down like some seductive Egyptian styled man-torture dress.

  “I think this is a little much,” she says awkwardly. There’s no way she has on her panties, because they would be showing through the slits. “But I can’t get the zipper down, and I came out here to find one of those girls.”

  No panties. No fucking panties.

  “Yeah… Um… I can help you,” I say, clearing my throat as she turns and heads back into the fitting room, closing the door behind me and locking us in this confined space once again.

  Yeah. I’m stupid.

  My hands shake as she pulls her hair to the side, keeping her back to me, and I refuse to look in the mirrors that surround us to meet her eyes.

  “We can talk about… earlier. If you want,” she says in a quiet voice. “I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

  She said nothing earlier. She just turned her body over to me, and she let me call all the shots. My restraint broke, and she wanted it as much as I did. Which means it’s all on me to stop this.

  Talking about this is a very bad idea, because I’m barely hanging on.

  “You know why I stopped,” I say in a rush, cursing my hands that are still shaking as I carefully try to tug the zipper down. It really is stuck.

  “I know why. I’m sorry I didn’t stop it myself. We… we have to stay friends, Wren. For Angel. And I want you to be able to be around me without feeling weird.”

  “I want that, too,” I say softly, finally getting the zipper to budge without ripping the dress.

  “So… how do we do that?” she asks hoarsely as I slowly pull the zipper lower, letting my index finger follow its path, touching her spine all the way down to the end.

  She tenses against my touch, and I contradict the words I’m saying when my body keeps doing whatever the hell it wants to.

  Leaning down, I inhale her scent—strawberries and subtle vanilla—as her silky soft hair lightly tickles my face. She sucks in a breath as my hands slide down to the slits on her dress, and I groan as I feel the skin of her hips.

  It takes all my strength not to slide my hands over, touch her the way I want to. I pull her against me, letting her feel my erection against her back, and she melts against my touch.

  “You can start by wearing your fucking panties,” I whisper against her ear, hating and loving the small shudder she has when my teeth graze her earlobe. “I’m only so strong, Allie.”

  She shivers once again, and very reluctantly, I walk back out of the fitting room. There’s no pretending it didn’t happen. All we can try to do is ignore this… thing between us until it’s gone.

  “I have some lingerie to add to the pile,” the girl with red hair says as she walks back over, and she hands me several racks of lacy ensembles meant to unman stronger men than me.

  Allie snickers softly on the other side, even though I can tell she’s trying to smother it, and I groan as I curse this day.

  I’m so fucked.

  Chapter 16

  ALLIE

  Wren was quiet after we left the store. I was essentially catatonic. And the elephant in the room between us was pretty freaking massive.

  He dropped me off without hardly speaking at all, and I haven’t spoken to him since the fitting room incident the other day. He hasn’t said if he’s still coming to pick me up for the party, and if Melanie hadn’t already picked Angel up to give her the royal treatment, I’d be cancelling.

  Staring in the mirror, I find my hands on my hip bones, brushing over the covered flesh that still burns from his touch.

  “I’m only so strong, Allie,” he had said, and for some reason, I think I moaned. Or maybe I whimpered. Or maybe I didn’t make a sound.

  I was so confused.

  Now, I’m even more confused. How are we going to go to a Christmas party at his mother’s house? How are we going to pretend that we weren’t both fighting the urge to strip bare and tear into each other in that… No. No. I won’t go there… again.

  I just have to talk to him about it. Talking is all we can do. We can’t have this between us.

  The door shuts, and I jump. Sheesh. Why am I so on edge?

  “Allie?” Bella calls from the living room, prompting me to take a deep breath and leave the bedroom, prepared for her to—

  She squeals when she sees me, then covers her mouth before saying, “Holy shit! You look… Wow!”

  I was expecting her to laugh.

  “You sure?” I ask, looking down at the silver dress that hugs me very tightly down to my hips, then flares just a little to let the fabric flow to the ground. A large, wide split rides up to my thigh, but it’s sexy elegant.

  At least I’m wearing panties—definitely wearing panties. I only took off my panties in the store to see how that particular dress would look, since it was showing the pink lace. It really was beautiful, but I didn’t have the… Well, I didn’t the balls to try to pull it off.

  “Allie, I swear if I was a guy, I’d totally be hard right now.”

  I burst out laughing just as she does, and she walks over, circling me slowly. “I have some earrings that would look great with this,” she says, running toward her room.

  I take a steadying breath, glancing in the mirror on the wall that shows me from the waist up. My hair is loose and flowing in large curls that took me over an hour to accomplish. My makeup is a little heavier than usual, but it still isn’t more than a natural look.

  The strapless dress fits perfectly around my chest, which still shocks me. How do those girls know what size you are without asking? It’s as though they took one look at me and had my measurements pinned.

  And these shoes… The silver beauties on my feet have a sling back heel, and they shimmer under the light. The tops crisscross, giving just a peek of my toes. Angel is going to love these.

  “Here they are,” Bella announces as she walks back into the living room, and I turn just as she holds out her hand.

  Dangling, diamond earrings are put into my palm, and I shake my head rap
idly while handing them back. “I can’t wear these.”

  She laughs while taking one back, ignoring me as she moves to my ear to put it on me herself.

  “Wren bought you a badass dress. You can wear my damn earrings.”

  Shame washes over me, and I blow out a breath. “I can’t believe I let him buy it. But… he insisted. And then I got… distracted. He got me shoes and a coat, too.”

  She flashes a smile that is so genuine. “Lucky girl. Let him spoil you.”

  “It’s not right. I don’t like taking anything from him. I should have… I should have refused the dress. Shit. What was I thinking?”

  She purses her lips as seriousness takes over. “Wren has seven years’ worth of guilt, Allie. He missed over six years of his daughter’s life. If the guy wants to buy you an outfit for some ritzy party his mom is throwing, let him. And don’t feel bad about it.”

  Sighing, I take one last look at myself.

  This thing between Wren and me… It’s just this weird physical chemistry, right?

  I wish. No. It’s the way he treats our daughter—as though she’s the most precious thing in the world. It’s the way he looks at me, and it’s the way he speaks… Screw this. I can’t sit here and think about all the reasons I’m falling for Wren, when I need to stop falling for him.

  “You look constipated,” Bella says candidly, reminding me she’s there.

  “I’m thinking,” I grumble, glaring at her as she laughs.

  Then she gets that prying look on her face. Oh no. What’s she going to ask now?

  “Sooo… You never really talk about Tag, but if he’s Wren’s best friend, then you have to know him.”

  I shrug. I don’t actually know him. “I assumed Tag was off limits for conversation, given your past with him.”

  Bella rolls her eyes while dropping and sprawling out on the sofa, still wearing her scrubs from the hospital, while her dark hair rests in a messy bun on her head.

  “It’s not like I was hung up on the guy. I couldn’t even remember his last name when you needed to find Wren. I’m just… curious. Is he still hot?”

  I nod, cautiously entering this territory against my will.

  “Damn. Is he at least a little less hot?” she asks hopefully.

  I laugh while shaking my head. “He’s hotter, actually.”

  She mocks a pout, but then her eyes brighten. “It’s too bad I’m taking a break from bad boys. He’d be fun to play with.”

  I laugh harder this time while walking over to grab the new, incredibly awesome, cream cashmere coat to pull on. It’s not too cold, but it’s still chilly outside. Especially at night time.

  “That might be problematic, considering he’s married with one child and one on the way.”

  She chokes on air before shooting upright and gawking at me. “Married with kids? Oh damn. Tell me the wife is hideous.”

  I smile while shaking my head. “Wish I could. But she’s not. In fact, she’s pretty damn hot.”

  She groans while dropping back down on the sofa. “Then tell me she’s a major bitch.”

  “She brought candy assortments to Angel’s class on career day to help Wren out.”

  Bella pouts again, but it’s playful. “I knew this world was cold and unfair. She must have the fabled magic pussy.”

  I stumble so hard that I almost fall, and Bella shoots me a smirk. “Did you just say ‘magic pussy’?” I ask incredulously.

  “Yep. You know… Like in the romance books where the players screw a girl once and suddenly they’re obsessively in love for the first time. That’s magic pussy.”

  My laughter pours out as Bella leans forward, staring at her lap with a scowl. “Why can’t you be magical?” she asks her crotch, which has me laughing all the harder. “We could be rich and fabulous if you could charm the wealthy and wicked serpents of the world.”

  My side hurts so much, and I end up clutching the back of the sofa for support as Bella continues to have the weirdest conversation in history with her non-magical… um… area.

  “We get to watch the men walk away and forget to call. Or climb into bed with another woman. Maybe you need some pheromones or something to make you a magical beast. You could have a siren’s song. Are you defective? Don’t you want to…”

  Her voice trails off, and I look up—I don’t know why I was staring at her pant-covered crotch like it was going to answer. I’m still laughing so hard that I have tears, but I notice her eyes are wide and horror is etched on her face. I follow her gaze behind me, and see Wren biting back a grin that he ends up covering with his hand when he can’t suppress it.

  “OhmyGod!” Bella squeals, lunging and diving off the sofa before running to her room and slamming the door like an embarrassed kid.

  Wren’s laughter breaks free, and I start laughing just as hard.

  “Don’t you knock?!” Bella yells from the safety of her room.

  Wren has trouble catching his breath, but he finally manages to answer through his chuckles. “I did knock. But you two were apparently otherwise engaged, and the door was unlocked.”

  Bella groans, and Wren and I laugh all the harder, egging her on.

  Somehow, the tension between Wren and me has been lifted after getting to witness Bella talking to her body parts. My eyes drift over to Wren as he taunts Bella.

  “Don’t let me interrupt. You can finish your conversation with your magical pussy.”

  My eyes drift down to the roses in his hand, and a warmness spreads over my chest as he laughs, his eyes not on me, fortunately. It gives me a second to really appreciate his profile, and damn… I’ve never seen a tux look so good on anyone.

  “Mine isn’t magical!” Bella barks, half laughing now as she walks back out of her room. “That’s the problem.”

  Wren continues laughing as Bella huffs, but my eyes are still busy drinking him in.

  “Damn,” he says in a reverent breath, his laughter gone.

  My gaze moves up from his chest to his face as he studies me, openly raking his eyes over me from head to toe. I’m glad I have on the coat.

  Bella clears her throat while leaving the room, being way too obvious, and I take a deep, steadying breath.

  “Hi,” I say softly, which earns a smile.

  “Hi,” he says back, still smiling as he hands me the roses.

  Yeah. It’s stupid, but I grin like an idiot while taking them. This shouldn’t feel like a date, because it’s not. Yet it’s the best start to a date that I’ve ever had.

  I shiver when our fingers graze each other’s during the exchange, and I hear his sharp intake of air. But I ignore my reaction and his and move quickly to take the roses to the kitchen.

  Bella is already filling a vase with water, a knowing smile on her lips. Actually, that smile is looking more and more like a smirk the closer I get to her.

  “Don’t,” I whisper in warning, but she doesn’t acknowledge me.

  She takes the roses from me just as Wren joins us, making the kitchen suddenly seem very, very small when his scent engulfs me. I swear he smells like good sex.

  “You can come to the party, too,” Wren tells Bella as he props up much too close to me, his leg brushing against mine.

  I tense, and heat floods me from the small, accidental touch. How am I going to endure an entire night with him after the fitting room?

  “No thanks. I have a date,” Bella says while arranging the roses nicely in the vase.

  “With?” I ask, curious as to why I’m just finding out.

  “Dr. Pellino. He’s cute.”

  My nose wrinkles. He’s cute, but he’s a pervert.

  “Okay… Sure. Call if you need me.”

  She winks over her shoulder at me as Wren starts moving toward the door.

  “Have fun tonight,” she whispers, and my eyes connect with the piercing blue ones that seem to trap me all the time.

  Wren’s dark hair is hanging over his brow in a way that has my fingers itching to run through it, a
nd he’s not looking at me with any less hunger than he had a few days ago. If anything, he looks even hungrier.

  Not good.

  “Yeah,” I croak, my throat suddenly very dry, and Bella laughs behind me as Wren lowers his hand to the small of my back, guiding me out.

  “I didn’t know if you were still coming to get me,” I tell him when we get outside.

  He sighs hard while one corner of his mouth lifts in an uneasy smile.

  “I’m not a coward, Allie.”

  My eyes move to his lips, spellbound and lost in fantasy, and he curses while tilting my face up by my chin.

  “I’m also not a saint, so you can’t keep staring at my mouth like you want a taste,” he says in that deep, breathy, fuck-me-now tone that has the hairs on my body rising to attention.

  That dull ache returns between my thighs, and I mentally slap myself. What am I doing?

  “Right,” I mumble, feeling my cheeks heat.

  He leans down quickly, and I almost stumble backwards, but he grins as he catches me before moving his lips close to my ear. Goosebumps pebble my skin when he growl-whispers.

  “And I really fucking hope you’re wearing panties.”

  Chapter 17

  WREN

  I really wish I had bothered to pay attention to the dress before they zipped it up in the carry bag the other day. Then again, I still wouldn’t have been prepared for how it looks on her, and that’s just what I can see through the gap of the coat.

  The swell of her breasts are taunting me right now, daring me to touch—and lick—when I shouldn’t even be looking. But her chest is impossible to ignore in that dress.

  The plan was to show up early, talk to her about what happened, and smooth things over before leaving. But then there was some insane thing going on between Bella, Allie, and Bella’s pussy when I got there. After that, Allie’s pumped up cleavage caught me off guard. And she smells so fucking good.