Breaking Even (The Sterling Shore Series #5)

by C. M. Owens

  “I’ve never felt so irresistible,” she mutters dryly, and I can’t help but laugh while picking her up.

  I lay her down on the floor, push her back, and cover her almost bare body with mine. When her breaths become more labored, I restrain a smirk.

  “You are irresistible. My anger was gone, as I said. Somehow you got rid of it, but I didn’t notice until you were gone what you had put in its place. While you were gone, there was nothing but misery.”

  She smiles bashfully as a tear rolls down her cheek. “Then I’m glad I make you miserable.”

  I grin and kiss her, but she starts tugging my shirt over my head, forcing me to break the kiss. When she unties the strings of her bikini bottoms, a feral sound escapes my mouth, forcing her little smirk to appear.

  “There’s another reason I want to do this,” I say in a reverent breath as she slowly tugs the bottoms away.

  My eyes go down, taking in her small body beneath me now that she’s completely bare.

  “Oh?” she muses, her delicate, deft fingers going to work on the strings of my swimming shorts.

  I take a minute to truly admire her. She looks like mischief wrapped up in an innocent package that is ready to deceive the naïve. She’s perfect.

  “I also want to do it because I’m a little bit in love with you,” I murmur, taking a deep breath as I find the courage to meet her blue eyes again.

  She gives nothing away with the expression she’s wearing right now. I really don’t like that expression. Finally, a few more tears fall from her eyes and she pulls me to her while kicking my shorts the rest of the way down.

  I grin when I feel her frantic feet trying to free me completely, but I shuffle out of them to help her out.

  “Just a little bit?” she asks as I push against her.

  I can’t help but enjoy the little moan she gives me.

  “A small, barely unrecognizable bit,” I lie, and she grins against my lips when I push my tongue into her mouth.

  It feels like years since I’ve been inside her, and I can’t wait any longer. So I don’t.

  With a hard, swift motion, I slam into her, forcing her pleasured cry to escape, and I bite back a groan. I forgot how good she fucking feels. I’m fairly certain she was somehow crafted and molded specifically for me in every way.

  It feels like my dick is sliding into a wet vice that has a thick rose petal lining. Fairly positive this defines the word heaven, and I never want to leave.

  “I love you,” she whispers, her words ending in another moan as I push deeper inside her, and she repeats herself. My restraint breaks.

  I wanted to take this slow, but I can’t. Not when her body is bowing to mine while she says those words over and over. I never want her to stop saying them.

  No misery. No anger. Nothing but completion. I’ve never felt whole until her.

  I thrust powerfully, gripping her hips tightly. As my fingers dig into her flesh, her nails slide across my back, and her heels dig into my ass, driving me forward. Her chest bounces, moving with the motions of our bodies.

  My thumb slides over, finding that spot that has her gasping and cursing, and I start spinning circles, pushing down just hard enough. Her sounds tell me when I’ve found the right rhythm, and dual stimulation has her grabbing at my hair.

  I don’t care if she turns me bald or mars my back for life, watching her face go through numerous phases of ecstasy is worth anything I have to offer. Unable to help myself, I lean in to kiss her, needing to swallow some of those sexy sounds escaping her.

  With every stroke, it gets hotter inside her tight sheathe. Her tongue tangles with mine, fighting for dominance in a way that has my balls tightening too soon with an imminent release.

  Her hips arch as her walls tighten, and when my name comes out in an almost unrecognizable scream, I explode inside her, wishing we could just stay joined all night.

  My entire body goes stiff before utterly lax and languid, and it takes all my strength to continue holding myself above her, knowing I’ll crush her tiny frame if I drop.

  “Do you love me more than a little bit now?” she asks teasingly, breathless as she drops her arms from behind my neck and lets them collapse to the floor beside her.

  Despite the fact I’m completely exhausted, I want her again. And again. And then again.

  I smile as I pick her up, refusing to fully separate our bodies, and she rests limply on me as I carry her to the bedroom.

  “By the end of the night, I have a feeling I’m going to love the hell out of you,” I say, even though we both know I already do.

  She giggles, and my stupid, painful grin stays on my face. So this is what it’s like to be happy. I could get used to it.

  “What’s in the present you sent me?” she asks randomly, and I pause.

  “You haven’t opened it?”

  She shakes her head, laughing lightly as I make it to my room with her still firmly strapped against me.

  “Would you open a present I sent to you?”

  I think about that for a second, weighing it in my mind. “Good point. Is it at your house?”

  She nods, and I drop her to my bed while rushing back into my living room. I hear her asking me what I’m doing, but I don’t respond.

  After pulling on my discarded swimming trunks from my living room floor, I jog outside and across the street. The door is unlocked to her house, and Maggie and Carmen both jump when I barge in.

  “Sorry,” I say distractedly, scanning the living room.

  “Brin’s not here,” Maggie scolds, glaring at me. “She’s on a real date with someone who can hopefully get his head out of his ass long enough to appreciate her the way she deserves.”

  I really thought getting Brin’s car back would make Maggie like me again.

  “I know where she is,” I say, walking into her room and flicking on her light.

  “What the hell are you doing in her room? You can’t just—”

  “Where’s the present I gave her?” I ask when I don’t see it in plain sight.

  She follows me into the room, her arms crossed disapprovingly over her chest.

  “I said she’s not here, so you shouldn’t be in her room. Your pranks are only giving her hope, and I can’t allow you to break her anymore. She never cried before you, and now that’s all she does.”

  That makes me feel like shit. But I’m about to work really damn hard to make it up to her.

  “I know she’s not here. She’s in my bed. We’re together—for real this time. So where’s the present I sent her?”

  Her mouth falls open, and she stares at me in shock. That’s insulting. I think. I really don’t understand women. And Brin thinks I’m confusing. Her whole fucking gender is mind-boggling.

  “It’s in the kitchen,” Carmen says, grinning as she starts pulling a still-stunned Maggie from the room.

  I quickly walk around them and rush to the kitchen. The red package is on the counter, and I snag it and walk back out while Maggie still stares, dumbfounded.

  “I love her, Maggie,” I say on my way out.

  Just as I make it to the end of her yard, she yells, “You’d fucking better. I’d hate to have to roast your balls over a fire.”

  Why do girls always threaten a guy’s balls? So unnecessary.

  I just grin at her over my shoulder, and she works really hard not to smile back. Then I devote all my attention to getting back to the naked girl in my bed.

  ***

  BRIN

  Rye walks back into the room where he abandoned me, and he’s holding the red package that I still don’t trust. “Shorts off,” I demand, smiling at him when he laughs.

  He complies though, and he gets as naked as I am before joining me on the bed.

  “Here,” he says, handing me the item of suspicion.

  It’s a long box, like something you would put clothing in. But I’m still not opening it.

  “You open it for me,” I say very warily, handing him the box and waiti
ng for him to put me out of the suspenseful misery this gift has caused. It doesn’t stink, so I’m assuming there isn’t anything dead inside.

  “No trust,” he says with a playful sigh, and I snuggle up closer to his back, peeking over his shoulder and letting his body shield me... just in case.

  He peels open the paper to reveal the white box, and then he opens the top. Inside rests something white, and I lean up to get a better view. It’s a note on top of white tissue paper.

  I miss you. And I bought things that make me think of you.

  Really glad I didn’t open this before. I would have melted and begged him to take me back. Then we might not be in this new place where a future is possible between us.

  “You’re crying,” he says with a frown.

  “They’re not bad tears this time,” I say, smiling at him as he shifts and kisses me sweetly on the lips.

  I pull away and peel back the tissue paper, and I burst out laughing at the simple white cotton panties that rest on the top layer.

  “Really?”

  He shrugs as his grin grows. “They suit you. And I love you the way you are. Everything is always different, fun, and sexy in an entirely new way. These damn things shouldn’t be sexy, but you looked so fucking good that night you were letting me pull those shorts off you for the first time.”

  Those words... He really does love me, and he’s saying it aloud. I never thought it would happen. I keep expecting to wake up and realize this was all a torturous nightmare.

  I smile and return my attention to the present, trying not to show how completely excited I am over something so simple. Then I pull out a white sundress. I grin bigger as I look at him, and he shrugs in response. On the next layer, there’s a bottle of food coloring, and I laugh.

  Under that are several other things. There’s a Camry keychain hooked to a Porsche keychain, and I grin while I continue snickering. The box of baking soda and bottle of Febreeze makes me chuckle louder, and he pulls me to him.

  “I was trying to make you play with me. I was pretty damn desperate.”

  I smile up at him, and put the things aside. Then I wrap my arms around him while he falls to his back, dragging me down with him.

  “I’m glad I didn’t open it. We wouldn’t be here right now if I had. We’d be in the loop your father warned me about.”

  He tilts his head in confusion, and I realize he apparently hasn’t talked to his dad about our visit, so I try to elaborate without all the details.

  “I would have played. You wouldn’t have ever thought of anything more with me,” I say to clarify.

  His eyes soften, and he presses his lips against mine.

  “Then I’m glad you didn’t open it.”

  I push my hips back, slowly sliding down on him, impaling myself, and feeling the full, stretching sensation moments before that metal bar does that divine thing of touching a place that has never felt so stimulated before him.

  Ruined. He’s ruined me forever, and I love it.

  When I rock my hips, he groans. Each breath exchanged is a new breath of a freedom I never thought I could feel.

  And he’s mine.

  Epilogue

  One week later...

  RYE

  “We should probably get out there,” Brin says breathlessly against my lips, but she feels too good to leave right now.

  “One more time,” I murmur, still panting.

  “No. We have guests, and this is your house. It’s rude, and I’m starving. We can continue this when everyone is too drunk to notice we’re missing.”

  I frown, but she laughs, and I can’t help but smile. With a reluctant sigh, I stand and pull my jeans back on while she wraps the sheet around her.

  “This could be your house, too,” I say, trying to make this sound as casual as possible while I grab for a shirt.

  She’s silent. I hate it when she’s silent.

  “What does that mean?” she asks in a hoarse whisper that forces her to clear her throat directly after.

  I keep my back turned, shrugging as nonchalantly as possible.

  “You could move in.” I pull on my shirt, still refusing to look at her. “You’re here every day and night, so it only makes sense for you to move in.”

  I turn to see her frowning. She has that confused wrinkle on her brow. This is moving fast, but I love her, so it only makes sense. I’ve spent my entire life playing it safe and staying detached from anything that could pose a threat. I want to live now, and there’s no reason to waste time. I know exactly what I want, and for the first time in my life, there’s nothing stopping me from having it.

  “I’m not moving in for the sake of convenience,” she says, still wearing her sweet frown.

  I lean over, tug the sheet away from her body, and press a chaste kiss to her lips. “I’m not asking you to moving in for the sake of convenience. I’m asking you to move in because I want to take the next step. It’s fast. I know. But I love you, and you love me, so this is next. We can do this.”

  She’s fighting hard not to grin. Sure it’s crazy to move in after only being in a committed relationship for a week, but we’ve been together for over a couple of months. Even when we were split up, she consumed me, so we might as well be living under the same roof. It would definitely make my life better.

  “What happens if I say no?” she asks, failing miserably in her attempt not to grin.

  As she stands, I lean back, watching her naked body slowly become clothed under a white sundress. Innocent mischief; it’s an oxymoron to most. To me, it’s the girl I love.

  “I torture you until you say yes,” I say absently, smiling as she goes to grab the top drawer.

  She grabs those sweet cotton panties, and I grin like a fool as she slides them on under her dress. Then she grabs a white strapless bra and pulls down the straps of her dress to put it on.

  We’re never leaving this room.

  “Stop,” she giggles when I try to wrap her up in my arms.

  “Then stop teasing me with a reverse striptease and answer my question.”

  She sighs playfully, feigning exasperation as she reaches a hand up and tugs on my neck.

  “What happens if I say yes?”

  I grin as I start pressing small kisses on her neck, and she arches to lean into me.

  “Then I torture you daily, but it’ll be fun.”

  She laughs, and the sound vibrates throughout me. I wonder how long it’ll feel this good, because I’m pretty sure it’s going to be impossible to ever get anything done if it’s always like this.

  “Then yes,” she says at last, and I spin her in my arms to kiss her hard, pressing her up against the dresser and silently counting how many times I’ve had her right here.

  It’s not enough. One more time is necessary.

  “No,” she says through a laugh. “Guests. You have guests.”

  “We have guests. You live here now, too,” I remind her, enjoying the way that sweet blush creeps across her cheeks.

  “Well, our guests are waiting on us. Go on while I finish getting dressed.”

  I pout, but she shoves me out, somehow managing to withstand the power of my puckered lips. But I’m grinning when I walk out.

  Dad is talking with a woman when I reach the outside, and he nods in my direction while smiling. Looks like Ash is still trying to play matchmaker, but at least this woman is my dad’s age.

  I smile back at him, and he takes a breath that appears to be easy. Everything is so much easier. I never thought it was possible. The relationship I have with my father is by no means a normal one. Not yet. Possibly not ever. But I can stand to be around him, and he’s coming out of the house more.

  I guess he decided if I was going to start healing, then it was okay for him to start healing, too.

  Wren walks up with a small girl at his side, and I grin at the kid who looks so much like Wren and his family.

  “You must be Angel,” I say, kneeling in front of the little girl.

&nb
sp; She nods and says, “You must be the guy with tattoos my momma stitched up.”

  I thought she was six. She looks six.

  She points to the small scar on my hand, and I nod.

  “Yeah,” I say, confused as I look up at Wren.

  “She’s really smart, really observant, and really blunt. Oh, and she eavesdrops on any conversation she can,” he explains dryly.

  Angel walks toward Ash who is calling for her, and Angel thanks her when she offers her cake.

  “She just turned six, right? Not eighteen?” I ask, looking at the back of the kid who very properly thanks Ash.

  “Yeah. She’s used to living with her mother and Bella—Allie’s roommate and best friend. Like I said, she eavesdrops. I’ve learned the hard way to keep my mouth shut if I want to keep secrets, because she could be under your bed without your knowledge. And she’s quick to catch on. I think she’s aware that I was a dick to her mother. So... Yeah... It’s a struggle, but I’m working hard to build a relationship. Right now she’s not too thrilled with me.”

  I sigh long and loud. This is fucked up no matter how you slice it. No one is a winner in this. Allie was a single mom who didn’t know the name of her child’s father; Wren is the guy who missed six years of his daughter’s life because he messed up once and acted like a jerk; and the kid is stuck in the middle.

  “Does Allie talk bad about you around her? I know you said she hates you.”

  I feel bad for not being there for him as much as I should have been this past month. I got too involved with my own drama, and I let him down.

  “No. She doesn’t talk about me at all, according to Angel. This sucks. Allie is actually trying to help us have a relationship, but she resents me—possibly hates me. Angel is smart enough and observant enough to realize that without Allie vocalizing it. She’s loyal to her mom, and I don’t stand a chance until I get on Allie’s good side. And that’s not working out so well.”

  Sighing, I take a sip of my beer. I suck in this department. I don’t know the first thing about kids.

  “Tag got any insight?”