Tagged & Ashed (The Sterling Shore Series #2)

by Owens, C. M.

  Ah shit.

  There I go again - just blurting things out.

  “Erica? As in Wren’s fiancée? And… wedding party?”

  I exhale heavily while nodding.

  “Yeah, they were engaged once before. They were a few days away from tying the knot in Vegas - not some Elvis sham of a wedding either. Erica went off with the girls, got wasted outside her head, and then she went to Bity’s room. He had such a chip on his shoulder about Wren getting married because 'things are just so easy for him,' that he actually fucked her.

  “The next morning, I woke up, went to Bity’s room to wake him up, and Erica walked out in his shirt before I could even knock. I got sick when I saw her holding her dress and shoes in her hands, and she burst into tears when she saw me.”

  ***

  Ashiara

  I swallow hard, trying to digest the words that just came out of his mouth. There’s no way Billy could do such a vile thing to his own brother.

  “Are you sure they had sex?” I ask, my voice trembling.

  “Positive. She was drunk, but she remembered it. When Wren confronted him, he admitted it. They didn’t speak for about a year, but Wren’s too good and forgiving of a guy to hold a grudge forever. He finally forgave him, and then he forgave Erica as well. After a few months, they started dating again, and before you knew it, here we were all over again.”

  I’m in shock. Billy and I have been best friends for years, and I had no clue about all of this.

  “Why didn’t he tell me?”

  “Because you were the one person he had left that didn’t hate him, I suppose. After that, Wren has been different toward him. He had always protected him, stood up for him, and he had been devoutly loyal. Now, he acknowledges he’s his brother, but he doesn’t feel the same. Everyone always thought it would be me who fucked one of Wren’s girls, but I wouldn’t do that to him. No piece of ass is worth losing a brother, and Wren’s the closest thing to a brother I’ve ever had.”

  It’s amazing he can be so genuine, so full of love for others, but he refuses to be in a relationship. The mere mention of dinner forced his whole body to tense up. It’s obvious this can never be more than a fling, but I knew that from the beginning.

  It wasn't fair for me to even suggest dinner. He's Tag Masters. I have no right to even want to change him.

  I wish I didn’t love being in his arms. It feels so natural to be with him. There’s nothing forced, and it never feels awkward or uncomfortable. It’s like we’ve known each other forever, though it’s only been a couple of days.

  “Well, I definitely get the whole best man thing now. You deserve it much more. As for Billy, you’re right about one thing, he had no right to jump my ass.”

  He smiles before pulling me closer to him. He’s so different than how he describes himself. I’m sure all girls are confused when they’re lying in his arms like this.

  “How about coffee? I can go get us some,” he sweetly offers, and I give him a light smile and a nod as he stands up and pulls on a pair of track pants.

  “Please don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

  I force a smile and nod again as he dashes out the door. I have to move though. I need to get my stuff packed so I can get out of here by noon. It’ll be the perfect escape because I heard Erica talking about getting the wedding party together for a cliff-side pose while the sun was so high.

  I hate slipping out on Tag, but it’s not like he’ll be devastated. He might be single, but he’s more unavailable than a married man. Within a few minutes of my departure, he’ll be in the arms of another girl, and I’ll be a distant memory of some girl he fucked at his best friend’s wedding.

  ***

  Tag

  I should have said yes to dinner. I wanted to. Now I’m regretting turning it down, but I don’t trust myself not to hurt her. I wish I was that guy who could change for a girl, but I don’t have such high hopes.

  My whole life my bastard father has broken women left and right, making promises he couldn’t keep. At least I’m honest. If a girl falls for me after I’ve told them how I am, then it’s on them, not me.

  With Ash though, it’s all different. I’m down here watching a pot of coffee brew so I can hurry back up to her. I begged her to stay in my bed so she’d be there when I returned. I’m that caught up in her.

  “There’s my best man,” Wren’s voice says from behind me, forcing my thoughts to cease as I turn to face him.

  “There’s the man of the hour,” I murmur with a smile.

  He grins giddily as he comes to stand beside me, and we both hold a silent spell until the coffee beeps behind us, pronouncing its climax.

  “So did you and Ash hook up last night?” he asks with a wry smile as I pull down two large coffee cups.

  “Yeah,” I murmur with a goofy grin spreading across my face.

  I have to fight hard not to slap myself for such a pathetic reaction.

  “And you’re making coffee for two? She spent the night with you and you’re not dodging her? I’m impressed.”

  “Don’t be. She knows how I am. Just because I’m taking her some coffee doesn’t mean too much has changed.”

  “Mom says she’s incredible. She even told me she thought about introducing us after Erica and I called it quits. I’m glad she didn’t. I don’t know if I would have ever given her up for Erica,” he says while nudging my elbow.

  “She never thought to introduce her to me?” I joke, knowing damn well Melanie loves her too much to subject her to the likes of me.

  “Actually, I knew you’d find her on your own one day,” Melanie says from behind as she joins us in the kitchen.

  Wren chuckles lightly while hopping up on the counter, and I turn to face the only mother I’ve ever had.

  “Is that so?” I playfully muse while drawing the coffee cup to my lips.

  “It is so. By the way, Ashiara likes her coffee with just a touch of cream - nothing else.”

  I smirk as she walks over and pulls down a cup of her own.

  “You, my boy, need a girl like her to settle you down. She’s the only one strong enough to handle you, and you’re one of the few I consider good enough for her. The only others would be Wren or Billy.”

  Billy doesn’t even deserve to be friends with her. Wren, thankfully, has his own girl. One he hasn’t given up on even though he should have.

  “You kissed her in front of everyone last night, or so I heard. That’s not like you,” Melanie continues while studying me very closely. “Usually you like to make all the women think you don’t care about anyone in front of them. I know Ashiara is the one to bring you out of your funk.”

  “My funk?” I muse with a small grin. “Are you saying you don’t approve of my lifestyle, Melanie?”

  Her humor leaves her face as she stares at me with all seriousness and says, “You deserve more.”

  Wren stops laughing, and I lower my cup so I can better view the woman I wish really had been my mom. Maybe then I’d be more like Wren and less like my father.

  “I-”

  “Hey,” Rene says to interrupt my next, possibly foolish, words.

  “Hey,” Wren and Melanie both say as she walks over beside me to pull down a coffee cup of her own.

  She pours the remaining bits of the pot into her cup, and then she props up directly beside me, uncomfortably close.

  “Why did everyone get quiet when I walked in?” she almost jokes.

  Wren’s devious smirk cocks up as he chirps, “We were just talking about what a good couple Ash and Tag make. Mom thinks she’s the only girl capable of handling Tag.”

  Melanie stifles a grin, and I bite back one of my own as Rene puffs.

  “I don’t really like her.”

  That’s because you’re jealous as hell.

  “That’s because you don’t really know her. It’s easy to feel intimidated, and even a little envious of someone as amazing as Ashiara if you don’t know what a kind and giving person she rea
lly is,” Melanie stabs, and I sputter a little of my coffee back into my cup as I fight off the urge to release my laughter when Rene almost growls.

  Then my eyes fall on the beauty in a short, dark denim skirt and a white shirt flowing loosely around her shoulders, giving me a peek at her tempting neck. Her hair is tamed, her makeup is lightly on, and her body is damn near glowing as she walks in.

  “Pre-wedding meeting in the kitchen?” Ash asks as she walks in, her steps uneasy as her eyes fall on mine.

  “Nah, just chatting,” Wren chimes in, his smile growing as he notices the intense gaze I’m sharing with the dark-haired wonder.

  She starts toward me, but then she stops and props up beside Melanie instead. I can’t stand her being so far away when she’s so close, so - against all my normal training - I start toward her.

  I can feel all the eyes on us as I carry her coffee to her, and she smiles appreciatively as I hand it to her. A few breaths rush out with surprise when I bend over and place a soft, chaste kiss on her lips.

  She smiles her beautiful grin, and then she stares down at her coffee as I wrap my arm around her and pull her to me.

  “Well,” Wren says with a grin even bigger. “I’m going to go see if I can break tradition and sneak a peek at my bride-to-be. See you at noon for the cliff-side pictures.”

  Oh damn. I forgot that shit.

  “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

  Melanie's smile deepens as she leans over to Ash and kisses her on the cheek. Then she leaves the room.

  Rene squirms uncomfortably for a minute, and then she rushes off to hide out now that the girl who outshines her is in my arms.

  “Hey,” I murmur softly. “Sorry, I got caught up.”

  ***

  Ashiara

  I actually hadn’t expected to run into Tag. I was wanting to talk to Melanie and tell her I’m leaving, but here he is. He kisses me again, and I put my coffee down so I can pull him in for a deeper one.

  “Miss me?” he asks with a smile.

  “A little.” I giggle as he picks me up and puts me on the counter.

  “Good. Now, let’s talk about that dinner you proposed.”

  I take a deep, cleansing breath, and then I dust his hair from his brow before I shake my head.

  “I shouldn’t have asked you for that. So, shouldn’t you be getting ready? For the pictures and all.”

  “Not yet. I’m not a girl, so I don’t take that long.”

  I laugh a little, and then I lean over to push my forehead to his as I sit atop the really high bar top.

  Suddenly his lips are on mine much harder as he pulls me to his body and starts carrying me away. My skirt is too tight for me to wrap my legs around his waist, so they dangle as he takes me to the back of the kitchen to the storage closet.

  He puts me on the counter in there, and I slip his shirt over his head as his hands greedily scour my body under my skirt.

  “I love a good morning,” he murmurs against my lips as he jerks my panties off and slides my skirt up higher - making it wrinkle around my waist and exposing me.

  It doesn't take but a few seconds to push his pants down, and we start acting like ravenous, hormonal teenagers. My legs wrap around him as I jerk him to me, and the head of his erection grazes my entrance as he guides it to me.

  “I love how wet you get for me.”

  I moan into his mouth as his firmness glides in a little farther - skin on skin.

  “Shit, I don’t have anymore condoms. Damn it.”

  My lips tighten as the head of his erection stays inside me.

  “I can use my mouth,” I daringly release, making his hands grip me tighter as he sinks in just a little more.

  “Say fuck it.”

  I pause, uncertain if I’m willing to risk a pregnancy for a good fuck in what’s essentially an oversized closet.

  “Fuck it,” I murmur against his mouth, stupidly giving up on caution, and he surges in with more force than I was expecting, forcing my head to bob back in ecstasy as my body arches to meet his next thrust.

  I moan louder as the skin on skin makes me feel him with more intimacy, more perfection.

  “Fuck, you feel so good. Damn it,” he almost gripes as he thrusts in deeper, making a catch in my throat force out a squeak instead of a moan.

  His pace only quickens as his grip tightens, and he jerks me to where my back pops the counter and my ass rests in his hands as his furious rhythm pushes me to the brink.

  I grip the edge of the counter as the ecstasy swells in my lower abdomen, and I scream out as he pushes me over the edge, forcing my whole body to stiffen before relaxing to the point I become limp in his hands.

  Suddenly, I feel his warmth spreading inside me as he follows my climax, and then he pulls me up to hold me to him.

  I tremble as my arms clasp around his neck, and his sweet, deliberate kiss holds me steady in the realm of fantasy. I know this will never be more than this, but at least he’s not making me feel dirty. Well, not in a bad way.

  ***

  Tag

  As I hold her, something inside me breaks. I’ve never wanted someone for more than sex until her, and I really have no idea what to do or say. Ash is too good for someone like me to fuck with. I can’t do it. I can’t let her be a guinea pig and play the first girlfriend in my life.

  “Ash?” Billy’s voice calls, and she covers her mouth to stifle a laugh as she pulls me to cover up her body.

  I force a smile, not quite as amused by the sound of Billy’s interrupting voice. Brushing her hair away from her face, I stare into those stormy blues I could imagine myself staring into for so much longer than this weekend.

  At least she’s still staying. Maybe she’ll even let me take her home, and from there, who knows? I sure as hell don’t know. I’ve never been so fucking confused in all my life.

  She hops off the counter, and I smirk as I hand her back her underwear.

  “Ash, you in here?” Billy calls from the kitchen, but she doesn’t answer, even after her panties and skirt are back in place.

  Instead, she gets on her tiptoes and tugs at the back of my neck to bring me into a sweet, sublime kiss. It would be so easy to get lost in her.

  My arms wrap around her waist almost reflexively, as if my body belongs to her. It’s a new feeling, something I love and hate at the same time.

  Billy huffs, and we listen to his feet shuffling out of the kitchen before we emerge from our accidental hideaway. I hadn’t even meant to fuck her, but damn, she’s just so irresistible.

  I kissed her in front of the family like she was mine to with do as I pleased. This is insane.

  “I should probably go grab a shower,” she murmurs as she squirms uncomfortably.

  “Yeah. Want to use mine? Maybe share a shower?”

  Shit. What am I doing?

  She smiles mischievously, and then her hand trails up my shirt before she starts tugging me out of the kitchen.

  “Love to.”

  What now?

  ***

  Tag

  We've spent the entire day inside, wrapped up in each other, and surprisingly, I'm not the least bit bored. I can't remember ever having talked to someone for this long. I can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

  She giggles when I kiss her neck, and I smile foolishly like some teenage boy with his first crush. The wedding party is growing restless, tired of all the picture-taking. I dread spending at least an hour out here.

  "Are you going to watch all the pictures?" I ask, leaning back up from her delicious neck.

  "As riveting as that sounds, I think I'll head back to the princess room and do some reading."

  Her sweet smile makes me wish I had done more than spend the day talking to her. What is wrong with me? It's like I can't get enough of her.

  "Care if I come by after this is all over with?"

  She grins bashfully and nods, looking down at her feet instead of meeting my eyes. Damn, she's cute.

  "Good. Then
I suppose I should get out there before I piss off the photographer even more."

  She laughs, and then her hand slides up my chest before resting on the back of my neck. She pulls me down, an action that is starting to feel too natural, and I willingly fall to her lips.

  I see a flicker of something, and I glance up from the delicious kiss to see the bitch photographer snapping away.

  "I don't think the bride and groom want pictures of this," I grumble, glaring at the peeping Tom hiding behind her camera.

  Ash stiffens lightly, seeming a little insulted by the snapshots. I'm sure she doesn't want pictures of us all over the wedding display.

  "The bride and groom want candid shots of guests as well," the photographer snarks.

  "Then go find someone who enjoys your constant clicking."

  She growls and storms away, seeming infuriated.

  "So much for not pissing off the photographer," Ash says with a small smile, but it seems forced.

  What happened?

  "You okay?" I ask, brushing her hair away from her cheek before tilting her chin back up.

  "Um... yeah. You should probably get going. I'm sure she's telling Erica and Wren all about how rude you just were. Go save them before they fire her."

  I laugh, thinking about how Wren almost fired her yesterday when she refused to let us rest.

  "Okay. I'll see you soon."

  I kiss her again, as though I can't help myself. She's very addictive.

  I jog off to go join the wedding party, ready for this picture-fest to be over so I can get back to Ash. Maybe I will take her out to dinner or a movie or... something. I'll ask Wren what exactly you're supposed to do.

  No. What am I saying? I'm all wrong for her. I'm not a guy who can change in one weekend. I'd end up losing Melanie's respect, and she'd probably whoop my ass, too. I can't do this. I need to just leave it at one weekend... if I can.

  "Tag," a familiar voice says, making me smile as I turn around to face the saucy little girl who has been killing us at the poker table.

  "Raya," I murmur softly, hugging her while looking around for Kade. "I've barely seen you," I add while stepping back.