Perfectly Toxic (The Sterling Shore Series Book 9)

by C. M. Owens

  “So you good with that?”

  “Good with what?” I ask, distracted.

  “Good with going to my Mom’s. It’d mean us coming out.”

  My body tenses against his, but I’m battling a grin. “Are you seriously asking me to meet the parents right now?”

  He shifts uncomfortably behind me. “Never mind. Didn’t realize that was a big deal.”

  I roll over in his arms so that I can face him, but he’s refusing to look at me, feigning interest in the girly show he doesn’t approve of.

  “I want to go, but only if this thing between us is heading in a solid direction.”

  He shrugs, now acting indifferent. I feel like an ass for teasing him now.

  When my lips start toying with his neck, he loses his forced interest in the show, moving his body until I’m on top of him. The more I kiss his neck, the more his hands roam freely on my body.

  He’s just in his boxers, and I’m wearing some slinky pajamas. It’s become our normal routine during the past week.

  When his hand slips inside the leg of my shorts, his breath hitches. His fingers slide against my flesh, taking note that I bypassed underwear, and he grips me tighter before pulling his finger away. I swear, my body makes things too easy for him, because he doesn’t have to do any work to get me ready.

  I feel gipped.

  My thoughts of feeling gipped turn to mush as he pushes the leg of my shorts open and slides me down on top of him, impaling me on his hard—

  “Show me those skills, banana girl,” he says in a strained tone before thrusting up suddenly, pushing us as close as possible.

  A soft moan escapes me as I clutch his shoulders for leverage and move against him.

  “Banana girl? You can’t learn those skills until we quit skipping foreplay,” I point out, feeling his grip tighten on my hips.

  I don’t give him time to respond, because I’m too busy trying to blow his mind. And judging by the look on his face and the fierce grip he has on me, I’m succeeding.

  Chapter 24

  BELLA

  “I need you to cover the rest of Jaden’s shift,” Berta tells me on her way by.

  “But that’s another four hours,” I groan.

  “I know. I’ve been here for sixteen hours already, and Jaden just went home with that virus that’s going around.”

  Damn it.

  “Fine. I’ll stay, but I’m not happy about it.”

  She grins, and I flip her off. “Tell me one person who is happy right now,” she chuckles before leaving.

  Pulling out my phone, I decide to text Ethan, considering he was supposed to pick me up after work. I paid for breakfast this morning, but then found a random twenty in my purse, which lets me know he only let me think I paid until I got here. He’s trying to burn my rules to the ground.

  I text him, letting him know tonight won’t work, and he fires a text back immediately.

  ETHAN: That makes no sense. Read your message.

  I groan while scanning for my text, then curse when I read it.

  ME: Tonight wanton twerk because I twerking late.

  I resend the correct message.

  ME: Tonight won’t work because I have to work late.

  It takes a few seconds before he messages back.

  ETHAN: I take it back. I prefer the original message full of gibberish, because this one sucks.

  I smile like an idiot for no apparent reason, and send him back a kissing emoji before putting my phone back in my locker.

  By the time my additional four hours are over, I almost want to cry for joy. My feet are killing me, and so is my head. Overworked is not a good way to feel. I’m fairly positive there is gum in my hair, and I don’t even want to try and figure out what the brown stuff on my shoes is.

  I text Ethan, letting him know I’m off, but he doesn’t respond.

  Frowning, I head toward my car, checking my phone again and again like an idiot.

  It’s possible he’s already asleep. But it’s only eight at night, so that’s doubtful. Deciding not to swing by his house, I drive toward my home. Until I get a text.

  ALLIE: Everyone is at Maverick’s house. Can you come hang?

  Excitement and nervousness collide. I’m about to have to see Ethan in person around all of our friends, and we have to play it cool.

  I rush home, shower, and battle with the gum in my hair, making myself presentable. It’s after nine when I finally get to Maverick’s, and my stomach flips when I see Ethan’s car parked beside Wren’s.

  I’m curious why he never sent a text back. What if he doesn’t want me here?

  No, fuck that. Who cares if he wants me here? I’m here to see my friends. I’m not here for him.

  Shrugging off my nerves, I walk inside, and find myself stumbling to a halt when I see a lot of really gorgeous women whose names I don’t know. Dale is lost in conversation with one of them. So is Maverick.

  Rain is passed out on the couch, her head in Dane’s lap as he talks to Kode. Tria is motioning me over, but I suddenly don’t like being here. I look like death with a little makeup, and all these girls look like they just left the runway.

  What’s going on?

  “Hey,” I say, discreetly scanning the living room, but not seeing Ethan or Allie. “What kind of party did I stumble into?” I ask her.

  “This is Maverick inviting the models over from Pretty Posh,” Tria explains, laughing under her breath. “Kode’s fault. Bora gave us a tour of the new line, and they did a runway test for the couture stuff. This is what happens when you take Maverick around a bunch of models.”

  So they really are runway models.

  She offers me a glass of wine, but I grab the vodka instead. Maverick lives too far away for me to walk home at night, but I can always crash on his couch or take a cab back.

  “Where’s Allie?” I ask her as I pour a little orange juice in with my vodka and toss in a few ice cubes.

  “Out back. Wait until you see Corbin.”

  My eyebrows go up, and she starts laughing while shaking her head. Curious, I head outside, and Corbin Freaking Sterling is the first thing I see.

  I burst out laughing before my mind can even really process what I’m seeing, to be honest. Is that an elephant trunk sticking out of his man thong? Why is he wearing a man thong?

  “Not one fucking word,” he tells me, pointing at me like it’s a warning.

  I’m too busy laughing to form words, so it’s a useless threat. Ruby wipes tears out of her eyes as her body shakes with silent laughter. He mutters a few curses before glaring over at her.

  “Can we go now? You said the last person who had to see is Bella, and she’s finally fucking seen me,” he growls.

  “Yes, Tarzan. We go now. Good boy,” Ruby says in a mock, deep voice, then breaks out into a second round of hysterics.

  “Just wait. Paybacks are hell,” he tells her as they walk by me. She slaps his bare ass, and he flips her off without turning around.

  “Thanks for coming,” she tells me, still wiping away her tears in between bouts of laughter.

  Sometimes I wonder if I have to be certifiably insane to be in a healthy relationship.

  My laughter dies in my throat when my eyes collide with a pair of dark ones. Ethan is watching me from the patio table where he’s sitting next to Wren, and his hands are steepled under his chin.

  He smirks at me, then returns his attention to Wren as he tells him whatever he’s telling him. Allie waves me over, and I go to sit down at the table with them. I’m on one end, and Ethan’s on the other, which on the rectangular table, puts him a safe distance away from me.

  It’s the first time we’ve seen each other without tearing off our clothes.

  “Work is rough, I assume,” Allie says, sipping a bottle of water.

  “Yeah. Lots of people leaving or calling in because of a virus. Where’s my girl?”

  Allie grins. “With Wren’s mom. She loves having a grandmother these days. And I’
m happy for her.”

  One of the models walks by us, wearing a dress that I want to steal and curl up with at night. But my ass would never fit in that.

  Sighing, I stare after her wistfully, until I suddenly tense because she’s running her finger along Ethan’s shoulder.

  His expression is blank as he talks to Wren, but I can’t hear the words. All I can hear is the muffled rumble of his deep voice.

  My fists clench when she leans over to say something in his ear. He stops talking to Wren, and he turns to face the girl as she leans back. She’s giving him a grin like I give him right before he takes me, and it’s making me want to vomit.

  It’s a little too soon to be a jealous crazy girl, so I keep my mouth shut and stare very obviously. Not that he notices.

  “Is that so?” he asks loud enough for me to hear, cocking his head to the side.

  “Yeah. You in?” she asks, biting down on her bottom lip suggestively.

  He lets his eyes roam over her body, and I fight back the urge to throw my glass at his head.

  “Nah. I’ll pass. Not my type,” he tells her coldly with a shrug, then turns his attention back to Wren.

  She mutters, “Asshole,” before walking away, and Allie touches my arm, drawing my attention.

  “You okay?” Allie asks as I unclench my fists.

  “Just fine.”

  She nods toward an empty table, and I stand and follow her over there.

  “I feel like we haven’t talked in forever.”

  “I’ve been crazy busy at work,” I explain, leaving out the part about Ethan.

  I definitely plan to tell her, just not here and in front of everyone.

  “What’s new with you? When am I getting to walk down the aisle and stand beside you?”

  Her face splits into a wide grin. “We haven’t set a date yet, but I know we’re going to keep it small. Just you guys and Wren’s family. His last wedding was a big spectacle, and neither of us really like all that attention. I want something intimate, and he told me he’d give me any wedding I wanted.”

  I mock a dreamy sigh and bat my lashes, and she laughs while rolling her eyes. Happy is a good look on her.

  I glance back over at Ethan, noting that he’s staring at me again. I also notice that Rye is sitting beside Wren now, talking to him. Ethan’s lips twitch, and I stifle some weird grin that tries to surface in response.

  “Is he being an ass to you?” Allie asks me, reminding me I shouldn’t be staring if I want to be discreet. “I mean, you never really explained that scene you made at the charity ball, not that I was there to see it, but Tria brought it up that day. With all the baby stuff happening, I never got to talk to you about it. Wren said he’s not exactly an easy guy to get to know, and he doesn’t even really acknowledge me or the other girls.”

  Yet he stalks me and drives me insane in so many ways… It’s seriously screwed up that I’m restraining a smile for that thought.

  “I can handle my own, Allie,” I remind her, shrugging.

  She blows out a breath. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’m not sure what his issue is, but he’s been an ass all night to these models. He told one he’d chase her if he wanted her when she tried to talk to him, so not to bother wasting any more of her breath. Then he told another to walk away before she looked desperate, because he wasn’t interested. The poor girl was fighting tears when she left.”

  My eyes flick back over to him like a bad habit, and he’s smirking at me this time. Rye and Wren are so absorbed in conversation that they don’t seem to notice.

  “He’s an unapologetic jerk,” I tell Allie, returning my attention to her and shrugging.

  Which is weirdly one thing I really appreciate. He’s been an ass to me too, but it’s his unique way of going after me. He’s a different kind of ass. Like the idiot I am, I feel special. Which is dangerous territory. Every time I feel special, my heart gets stomped on once I’m brought back into reality that I’m no different from anyone else.

  And… now it sounds like I’m some whiny brat with self-esteem issues.

  “At least he’s real,” I go on, feeling just a tiny bit defensive.

  “Wren’s real too, but he’s not… Never mind. He’s the same guy who gave me a fake last name the first night we were together.” She laughs humorlessly while shaking her head. “I guess I can’t judge Ethan if I’ve wiped the slate clean with Wren. But… Wren grew up. I think Ethan is still living in the past—a high school bully kind of past. I can have Wren talk to him if he’s causing you problems.”

  My grin spreads, and she arches an eyebrow at me in question. “Allie, when have you ever known me to get some guy to handle my problems?”

  “So you admit he’s a problem,” she says seriously, her brow furrowed with concern.

  I really love her for genuinely worrying about me. It reminds me why I miss the hell out of her.

  “No. It’s under control,” I say, feeling a little guilty for not just spilling it all.

  My eyes rake over the backyard, taking in the numerous friendly faces we’ve gotten close to in a very short amount of time. Telling Allie that I’m sleeping with Ethan… That’s a whole can of complications.

  Allie is engaged to Wren. It’s only natural that she’d tell him. And then Wren would obviously tell Rye. Rye would tell Brin. Brin would tell Tria or Ruby. Tria would tell Kode. Kode wouldn’t give a damn. Ruby would tell Corbin. Corbin would tell Maverick. And Maverick would tell anyone who would listen.

  I’m not ready for the world to know, and I’m not ready to be labeled the group slut, considering I’ve already slept with Tag once upon a lifetime ago.

  There’s a very strong possibility this is temporary. I’m going into this with my eyes open. Dating Ethan—if that’s what you can call it—is likely to blow up in my face. I’d rather the entire group not bear witness to the fallout.

  My phone buzzes in my hand, cutting through my thick thoughts, and I glance down to see Ethan has sent a message.

  ASSHOLE: Just saw you sent a text. I would have met you if I’d seen your message earlier. Wish I fucking had. I’m reminding myself I can’t touch you in public.

  A slow grin crawls across my face, and I glance back just as Ethan winks at me and looks back down at his phone while taking a sip of his drink.

  My eyes move back to my phone, and I ignore Allie’s eyes on me as I message him back.

  ME: We could always subtly sneak out. I have an early day tomorrow…

  “Did you hear Star Morgan is back?” Maverick asks.

  I turn in time to see him sitting down with Ethan, Rye, and Wren.

  Ethan chokes on his drink, and my back stiffens.

  “I had that same reaction,” Maverick tells him, lifting his glass as though he’s toasting the strangling Ethan, who is still struggling to recover.

  The pretty runway girls in the house seem to be forgotten as all the attention hangs on one girl who isn’t even here. Is that petty jealousy creeping up on me? Yes, yes it is. And I’m not proud of it.

  Ethan pounds his chest, finally catching his breath, and I turn a little more in my seat. Fortunately Allie doesn’t seem to mind, since she’s doing the same thing, equally intrigued.

  “Really wasn’t expecting you to say that,” Ethan finally confesses, taking a bigger sip of his drink.

  His eyes don’t meet mine, and he slowly slips that cool mask of confidence and nonchalance back into place.

  “Yeah, well, I wasn’t expecting Rain to tell me that either. Good timing too, considering you just came back. Don’t worry. I won’t be stealing her from you again.”

  Maverick laughs, but it’s forced. Ethan doesn’t even crack a grin. And he’s still not meeting my gaze.

  Ethan grunts and rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t say anything to counter Maverick’s words. Frowning, I study him. Unfortunately, the guy is an unreadable fortress.

  “Too soon?” Maverick drawls, looking at Ethan with a shit-eating grin.

  A f
ew groans and chuckles answer that question. Ethan says nothing.

  “Anyway, she’s swinging by tonight with Chloe. I waited until Corbin and Ruby left to send the text,” Maverick adds, and my heart starts jack-hammering against my chest.

  I think it’s safe to say I’ve really jumped into something without all the responsible details of possible lingering feelings for exes. Ethan’s expression is still stoic and unreadable, and it’s driving me crazy. Just a hint of what’s going on inside his head right now would be great.

  “So she’s coming here? Do you really want to open up that old wound?” Tria asks, coming closer to the table. “I mean, she was eating with Fiona. That seems like a betrayal to Dale to invite her over, considering Fiona cheated on him.”

  “Nah,” Maverick says, batting his hand. “She was chilling with Chloe. Fiona just crashed their meal when she saw them. Fiona is struggling to make friends since her split with Dale.”

  Ethan finishes off his drink, and he stands, stretching.

  “No offense, but I’m bored out of my mind. I might head out to Silk after one more drink,” Ethan announces.

  “Or you don’t want to face Star,” Maverick says, grinning like a cheeky ass.

  Me? I’m a little sick at my stomach.

  Ethan grunts something too low for me to hear, but it has Kode laughing under his breath as Ethan passes him. Kode flips Maverick off before getting up and moving toward Tria, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “And to think I was about to go home,” Kode says, smirking.

  “I’m going to grab a bottle of water instead of finishing my drink,” I tell Allie, standing and heading inside.

  Surprisingly, all the pretty models are gone. Dane is still with Rain on the couch, and Dale is bent over, talking to him quietly to keep Rain from waking up.

  They don’t notice me as I quietly make my way into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge as I pass by. But there’s no sign of Ethan. Did he really just—