The Sterling Boys (The Sterling Shore Series #3)

by C. M. Owens

  As pathetic as it sounds, I like having her alone at her house or my house. There aren't any interruptions from the outside world. It's just us, and we're back in the bubble we were in so long ago. I'd love to be back in that bubble right now instead of watching Rain enjoy herself while I sit up here and observe.

  "She looks to be having the time of her life," Dale says, startling the fuck out of me. He was just on the dance floor.

  "Yeah," I mutter dryly. "She should be having fun."

  "Yet watching her have fun is making you miserable. Any reason you're not joining in?"

  His tone is knowing, which isn't surprising. He figured out Kode's affections for Rain. I'm twice as transparent.

  "Just waiting for the right moment. Rain seemed pretty adamant about not dancing with me."

  Dale laughs, and it's possibly the most condescending laugh I've ever heard.

  "Don't be an idiot, Dane. You're too smart to play dumb. You have a girl like Vanessa pawing all over you right in front of Rain, and she's going to back away every time. If you want her, or any other woman for that matter, you always make it a point to make them the most important person every time you're around them. The good ones appreciate it. The bad ones can fuck off."

  His bitter tone toward the end makes me realize he's talking about Fiona. I wish I could have seen Rain kicking her ass.

  "Didn't realize I was making Rain feel like she wasn't important."

  He smirks, his eyes still just as condescending as his earlier laugh.

  "No woman ever says what she means. They're weird like that. The Vanessa girl talked about you taking her home. Here's what she was telling Rain, 'Dane knows where I live.' Given her very... seductive behavior and comfort level around you, Rain took it to mean the two of you have something physical going on."

  Women really are from another fucking planet.

  "I've taken her home numerous times because it's on my way to my house, and her car breaks down pretty regularly. It really does break down. I've tried cranking it myself when it's messed up. It's not like she's tricking me."

  Dale's laughter isn't very comforting, but I follow his eyes to Rain. She whips her head away, which lets me know I just caught her looking up here again.

  I'm about sick of these games.

  "Go get her," Dale says as I stand.

  I don't respond as I drop down from the platform and head straight toward the girl who is downing another shot. With a quick grip on her hips, I tug her to me, forcing her to gasp in surprise, while bringing her back flush with my front.

  If I can't stay away, then I'm going to find a way to make her mine.

  Corbin and Maverick shuffle off into the crowd to find their prey for the night, while I lock my jaws around mine—figuratively speaking. She pushes back against me, and I'm damn sure she feels just how hard I am right now.

  I turn her around, and her arms go around my neck as our bodies writhe together to the sound of the seductive beat. Everything around me fades as my leg goes between Rain's and she pushes against it. She stills when her heated center finds friction against my leg, and I almost roar in frustration.

  Dancing was a fucking stupid idea.

  Grabbing her ass, I pull her to me, and my lips brush hers when I lean down and get as close as possible. She can push me away or pull me to her. Something has to give. Now. Tonight.

  ***

  RAIN

  No. No. No.

  Dane has been taking shots, flirting with a damn waitress, and now he's grinding against me like a madman. He's obviously not himself right now, because he hasn't even attempted this sort of intimacy since he started staying with me. Is this some sort of game? A game of frigging torture, perhaps?

  And I can't have sex. Not for another few weeks. It's not like I can tell him that, either. Shit.

  "Dane," I murmur when his lips start moving to my neck.

  "Mm?" His wicked tongue does shiver-worthy things, and I begin imagining it somewhere other than my neck as he suckles and makes it hard to think. We can do so many things, but how would I explain not being able to have sex? A quick google search would tell him I don't have to wait long to have sex after gallbladder surgery—if at all.

  I should have thought this through a little better, because right now, he's offering exactly what I've been wanting.

  "I... um... we... Dane, we can't do this," I mumble unsurely, even as I thrust my fingers into his hair and pull him closer.

  I don't care if everyone on the dance floor sees this right now. I'd cry if it wouldn't rouse suspicion. Dane Sterling is doing all the things I want him to, and I can’t do any-fucking-thing about it.

  "Oh yeah?" he asks absently, not stopping his delicious assault on my neck.

  When his thumbs stroke the undersides of my breasts, a whimper escapes. Dane's responding growl is almost enough for me to risk a medical disaster. His lips come down on mine, but as soon as they do, I find the will to push him back, giving us just enough separation.

  "Dane," I groan, hating myself and my stupid, slow-healing body. Maybe I'm cursed.

  His head drops back in defeat as he stares at the ceiling, and he swears at the vacant air above him.

  "Sorry," he says while dropping his head back down, meeting my gaze with colder green eyes. "I said we'd be friends, and then... I just... I'm sorry."

  As much as I'd love to be in Dane's bed, maybe it's best that I can't be. Dane couldn't love me six years ago, and that's when we spent every waking minute together. I'm sure he can't love me after just a few weeks of rekindling our friendship.

  "No, I'm sorry. I... Shit. I need a drink," I stammer.

  He laughs before kissing my cheek and moves through the crowd, heading toward the bar. Closing my eyes, I drop my head back and start dancing alone, trying to clear my mind and get my heart rate back down.

  If he tries this when I can have sex, I won't be as strong. And my heart will hate me once it shatters again.

  Hands on my hips snap my eyes open, because the touch is foreign.

  "I'll be damned," a semi-familiar voice says from behind me. "Rain Noles without an entourage of Sterlings."

  Ah, hell. Pete Mercer. Not who I want to see right now. He dated Tria for about three months until she broke things off. He stalked her to the point where—even though I hated her—I had my boys put an end to it. I never told Tria that I asked the guys to help her out, and I never want her to know, either.

  "Pete," I mutter dryly, stepping away from his hold.

  Where the hell are my boys?

  I glance around, and I spot Maverick entangled with a girl, his back to me. Corbin is in a booth, a girl in his lap, and his eyes down her dress. Dale is talking to a girl at the bar, but his eyes aren't going anywhere toward me any time soon. And Dane is... missing.

  "It's hard to dance with me when you're that far away," he says, grinning ominously as he clamps his hand around my wrist and forcefully pulls me to him.

  He reeks of alcohol, cigarettes, and filth. His handsome appearance would deceive the untrained eye, because I know for a fact that he's a demon in disguise. I also know he hit Tria, even though her pride never allowed her to admit it.

  "I really don't dance with abusive sons of bitches," I murmur petulantly, trying to free my hand from his.

  "Well, good thing I don't want to dance with you, either. No one wants to touch your Frankenstein body. Had anything new replaced or lost these days?" I swallow hard, trying my best not to flinch as his dark, freaky eyes glare down at me. From this angle, he really does look demonic. "Where's your sister? Did she come here with you?"

  He's after Tria. She's the bitch from hell, but I'd never let this asshole near her again.

  "She's in New York. Why don't you fly out there and see if you can find her? It's a small city. Shouldn't take you but a few decades to check every nook and cranny."

  His eyes glaze over angrily as he takes a step too close, invading my personal space.

  "You're still a high-and-m
ighty bitch these days. Just tell me where she is. I need to talk to her."

  "It's been seven years since she dumped you. Don't you think it's time to move on?"

  "I spent five years in prison because of her. I think she owes me an apology."

  What? When the hell did this happen? And why didn't I know about it?

  "I think you deserve to have the hell beaten out of you," I hiss, seeing four walls closing in on us.

  "Oh? And you think you can manage that?"

  I smirk, keeping my secret for just a minute longer, giving them the time they need.

  "No, but I think they can," I say just as Maverick and Corbin rip the prick off me.

  Dale steps in front of me guarding me as Pete calls me a string of names, none of which really affect me. Then a fist flies into his face, causing blood to spew from his nose as he staggers backwards. I move around Dale's defensive body to see better.

  Dane pulls his fist back down from the air, standing over the prick who is bleeding out on the dance floor. Everyone in the club has stopped to gawk. Not that I blame them.

  No one wants to touch your Frankenstein body. His words shouldn't bother me, but they do. It's not like I don't still have some self-conscious issues over my chest, even though the scars on the surface have healed. And now I'm missing even more.

  "Get him the fuck out of my club, and don't you ever let him back in," Dane says to one of the bouncers.

  Before the beast of a man can haul the jerk up, I decide to take a cheap shot, just like the one he took at me. Using the heel of my stiletto, I stomp the hell out of his crotch, and revel in the sound of his bloodcurdling scream.

  "Don't ever come anywhere near my family again," I hiss before turning and walking back toward Dane.

  His arms come around me quickly, and I watch his jaw work back and forth as he strains to hold himself back.

  "Didn't know that asshole even lived in town anymore," Dane growls.

  "Apparently he just got out of prison."

  I stay in Dane's arms as the bouncer forces the crying piece of shit out the door, and Maverick shakes his head as he glares at his back.

  "I guess we didn't work him over good enough way back when," he grumbles, and then his eyes meet mine, a spark of amusement glinting in his dark browns. "Don't ever go after my balls with your heels."

  Just like that, the mood is lightened as everyone laughs. Since the dance floor is a little crowded with curious bystanders, we decide to head back to the booth.

  I probably need to warn Tria that he's back in town. I opt to send her a text, considering it'd be awkward to call and have this conversation.

  Me: Pete Mercer is in town. He's looking for you. You may need to get a restraining order.

  After several minutes pass, I assume she must be asleep. So, I decide to let it go. But my phone buzzes, and I look down to see she has finally sent something back.

  Tria: I've got one. Thank you, though.

  She already has a restraining order? What happened? It pisses me off that I don't know, but it's not like we're close enough for me to pry.

  Frustrated, I put my phone down.

  Dane's arm is around my shoulders, but he's not pulling me close like he was. It's more... friendly now. I suppose I screwed up by making him feel rejected, but it's not like I can tell the truth.

  No one needs to know about what else I had to give up, especially not Dane. Not yet. I'm not ready to tell them.

  Chapter 10

  RAIN

  After a few more weeks of being besties, I'm ready to slit my wrists. This was so much easier when I was a kid. I'm a woman now. A woman with needs, damn it. And I swear he's trying to torture me.

  He hasn't tried anything since I rebuffed his advances that night at the club, but that hasn't stopped all my fantasies and daydreams. If anything, it has only fueled them. Dane Sterling wants me, even if it is just for fun.

  Over the past few weeks, I've weighed all the consequences. It'll hurt like hell when he's done, but my heart will just have to forgive me. My six weeks are up. As of today, I have nothing forbidding me from sex. And nothing stopping me from willingly tossing my heart into a meat grinder.

  When we're at my house—which is rare—Dane's mother goes to stay with Britt at his house. When we're at his house, I get to know Britt a lot better. Her blunt personality is sweet, but at the same time, she's shy. She's come to hang out with me more and more, doing what she can to learn about her brother. The only stories from the past she's heard have been from the guys, and those aren't the stories someone wants to hear.

  Dane has been giving her social lessons, so to speak, and she works hard not to ask questions that are too personal. She never even asked about my small scars from my surgery, even though I know she wanted to the day she saw me changing.

  Kode is still avoiding me, but at least he's back home. I miss him. He was my best friend for longer than Dane. Maybe soon. Maybe tonight.

  Tonight is some party, and Dane is going to drive me out of my mind. We've slowly fallen back into our old habits... He'll kiss along my jaw, I'll sit in his lap, and we're constantly sleeping over at each other's houses. At least he didn't go ice cold after I rejected him.

  I shouldn't want to rush into getting my heart broken so badly, but I'll be damned if I can think of anything else. No sooner does that thought cross my mind, the shower door opens and in steps the man of every one of my dreams.

  "What are you doing?" I squeal, quickly covering what bits I can with my hands, contorting my body in awkward poses.

  He cocks an eyebrow like I'm the one who has lost my mind.

  "We have to be at the party in less than thirty minutes, and you've been in here for thirty minutes. I decided I had no choice."

  He flips on the adjacent showerhead, and I marvel—okay, drool—at the gorgeous back and other assets Dane has to offer. It's hard to remind myself that we need to have a serious conversation before we simply... cross a line.

  He may not want me on a permanent basis, but I don't ever want to lose him as a friend again. So a discussion about the expectations is necessary.

  "There's another shower," I mumble halfheartedly, unable to sound sincere as I lick my lips.

  Damn him and his sexiness.

  "The other shower is too small. I hit my elbows on the glass door and tile walls. Just suck it up, Rain. My back is turned."

  Mine isn't. I'm worried my eyes will never peel away from him. I watch as the water falls down the perfect contours of his body, and I mindlessly lick my lips again, desperate to taste.

  I have to get out of here.

  I flip the water to be cooler—much cooler—and I turn my back to him, making sure I don't do something stupid like run my hands over his hard, tempting body.

  He brushes against me with his... um... lower half, and my knees wobble as he invades my side of the shower.

  "Need my shampoo," he says too close to my ear.

  I can feel his smile, and his breath slowly slivers down my naked body, touching it in places where I want to feel his skin.

  That's it. Tonight ends the drought and the game of cat and mouse. I just have to figure out how to do it and when to talk to him.

  After shutting off the showerhead on my side, I step out and take a deep, shaky breath before putting my towel around me. I have no idea why he's taking a shower here, when the party is at his house. Why didn't he just go home to get ready?

  His phone rings on the counter, and I glance at it as an instinctive reaction. My heart leaps to my throat when I see Kode's name on the screen.

  "Dane, it's Kode."

  He pulls back the shower door, not bothering to cover up, and I might look down. Twice. Okay, three times.

  "Put it on speaker for me."

  I do as he wants, and then I peek over for glance number four. The man really does have the body of Adonis.

  "You coming to my party?" Dane asks, stopping my breath.

  I should leave, considering this is hi
s conversation, but I can't help it. Kode hasn't spoken to me in so long, and I've been worried to death about him. It's comforting just to hear his voice.

  "You in the shower?" Kode asks instead of answering.

  Dane rolls his eyes, still not bothering to cover anything up. So... maybe I look again.

  "I'm getting ready for the party. Are you coming?"

  "Yeah. I was gonna make sure that it's cool with Rain."

  I start to speak, but that might be... misleading, given the fact Dane is in the shower, so I nod rapidly. Dane forces a smile while turning back toward the showerhead.

  "She misses you. See you there."

  "Does she miss me the way I want her to miss me?" Kode asks, surprising me and breaking my heart.

  Dane glances toward me, his eyes on me expectantly, and I shake my head no.

  "If she doesn't, are you going to hate her for it?"

  I swallow hard and turn my attention to the phone, aching for the friend I lost, and hoping he stops loving me the wrong way.

  "I can't hate Rain. I'll be there."

  The line goes silent, and I make sure the call is ended before I look back toward the shower.

  "Thanks," is my simple response to Dane's back.

  He shuts the door, as he sucks in a breath.

  "Be ready. He doesn't sound like he's done trying."

  This is going to be a rough night. I was planning to seduce Dane, but now... shit. Kode will be heartbroken if he sees that.

  "There you are," Raya squeals while running toward me and throwing her arms around my neck.

  So wasn't expecting that. Raya is usually only affectionate with Kade.

  "I still can't believe it, and it's been weeks since he proposed," she says while pulling back, her eyes going down to her ring.

  I smile while running my finger over the large stone.

  "Have you set a date?"

  Most everyone is already here, and Dane and Maverick are arguing over who is the better griller as both of them neglect the grill. Dale steps in, grinning as he starts flipping the steaks, and Corbin talks up a pretty brunette by the bar.