by C. M. Owens
Dane lets free an enigmatic smirk while the others snicker. Good. I'm back in the conversation.
"That's Ash... Masters. His wife," Kode says with a grin.
I regret having a full mouth of my martini, because I spew and sputter it onto the table. I've gone crazy. I could have sworn I just heard Kode say Tag is married.
They all laugh, including Dane, as I cough on the strangling remnants of my traitorous drink.
"You okay, Rain?" Maverick teases.
"I'm fine," I say through a cough, finally freeing my lungs of the intrusive liquid. "I just... I think I've drunk too much. I thought Kode called her Tag’s wife."
They all laugh again, and Kode nods slowly while letting his grin crawl up a little more.
"I did. Tag got Ashed."
"Oh dear God. I need a stronger drink," I grumble, making their laughter resume. "Apparently I've been gone long enough to let hell freeze over."
Kode patronizes me with a gentle pat on my back as I lean my head over into my hands. I thought it was bad enough to hear that my cousin Kade was in a steady relationship. Now to learn Tag Masters has gotten married... I just feel so out of place.
"So... about the party tomorrow night," Maverick says with an impish tone.
I look up to see him eyeing Dane with a mischievous gleam to match his tone. Dane shrugs, casually dropping back against the booth before shooting a shot of tequila without so much as making a face. I wish I didn't think that was sexy... but I'm pathetic.
"What about it?" he asks, seeming bored.
"Who all is invited?"
I start to get the feeling Maverick is hinting for Dane to invite me, and that just makes it all awkward again.
"Anyone that wants to go—as long as I know them or someone from the party invites them. Same rules as always, Mav," Dane murmurs with another shrug.
Maverick is definitely hinting. It's not my imagination. Shit.
"You going, Kode?" Maverick asks, turning his conniving glance our way.
I squeeze his leg, letting him know he had better get me out of this. He doesn't even act rattled as he murmurs, "Actually, Rain and I were going to chill out in her new place and order pizza or something."
Whew. I really would like to hang out at my place. I've been in a hotel for four days while I waited on my furniture to travel across the country. Slowpokes. Today was the first day I've even been inside for longer than a few minutes.
I was scared to crash with any of the guys, considering none of the women they ever bring around all seem to like me very much. And they love bringing home women.
"Seriously?" Dale gripes, leaning forward to get in on the conversation. "It's Rain's first week back, but it's Britt's party. I think you two should be there."
Britt? Who the hell is Britt?
I start to voice my question, when Kode groans, "Shit. I forgot it was for Britt. I... damn."
He looks to me, looking genuinely apologetic because he needs to go, but too loyal to leave me hanging. Even though I have no clue who Britt is, I decide to relieve Kode from his burden.
"It's fine. Go to the party. I need to get some writing done anyhow," I lie, absently twisting the stick with an olive in my drink. I have nothing to write. Nothing.
"Don't be ridiculous, Rain," Corbin chimes in. "Come hang out with us. It's been a while since we all hung out together."
Why can't they just let this go? It's awkward sitting at a booth with Dane. I can only assume Britt is someone he's dating, given the way everyone seems to be attached to her very name. I have no desire to be around him and whoever she is.
"I really shouldn't—"
"You should come, Rain," Dane interrupts, making my heart try to stop. I wish he wouldn't say my name. "A lot of people you know will be there. It'll help you catch up."
Before I have to answer again, the girl with the fiery hair returns, and everyone's faces light up. Dane smiles brightly as he stands and meets her just several feet away. She sparks up an excited conversation I can't hear, not that I don't try really damn hard.
"Who's she?" I muse, leaning back in my seat before tossing back a shot of tequila.
Oh, that's so gross. And I really wanted to look as badass as Dane did when he took a shot. Stupid, sexy, heartbreaking, shot-killing bastard.
I feel my face distort from the strong, unforgiving toxin, and earn a chuckle from the teasing men around me when I can't immediately swallow the foul stuff in my mouth. A few "amateur" remarks are muttered amongst masking coughs, and I roll my eyes at the table of immature boys.
"That's Britt. Dane's sister," Maverick says so casually, as if it's no big deal, when my question finally gets answered.
For the second time tonight, my drink sputters from my mouth and sprays the table. What the hell?
"Sister?" I ask through my hacking.
Kode half smiles, but the others cackle at my expense.
"Yeah," Dale drawls. "Dane hired a private investigator to track down any possible family he had living. He managed to track down his father, but Dane didn't want to meet him. He assumed he more than likely had some siblings out there. He was right. The dude found Brittley. She was living on the streets, hopping from one place to another, sometimes camping out under a bridge. Dane went to her, told her who he was, and asked her to come back with him.
"It took her a few months to accept, but she finally did when she realized Dane was relentless and he planned on hounding her until she caved. She's still learning to adjust. She was a filthy mess when he brought her here. She's brilliant though, despite her short stints in public school. It took a little while for her to catch up, but she has an eidetic memory, which helps. She has excellent grades, and now—with Dane's help—she just got into Sterling University."
I'm overwhelmed. No, scratch that; overwhelmed is a mere distant illusion in the rearview mirror. Dane has a sister? And no one bothered to tell me? That actually hurts.
"She got into Sterling? With hardly any consistent schooling? Damn. Dane must have pulled some real strings," I murmur idly as I watch Dane hug the girl with an affectionate embrace.
"It wasn't too hard. She scored high on numerous things, and she had an epic essay she based solely on her actual life experiences. Dane is friends with a few board members, and once he explained the situation, they were willing to give her a fair shot to gain admittance. She blew them away in an interview."
I sigh out hard, now realizing six years isn't just a little bit of time; it's an eternity. I've been so wrapped up in my life away from here, that their lives went on without me. I feel... lost, disconnected even. This isn't what I expected when I came back home.
"I can't believe you guys told me about old Mrs. Harvington getting kicked out of the country club for indecent exposure—ew, by the way—but you failed to mention Tag Masters getting married and Dane Sterling having a long lost sister. You're the worst newsfeeds ever," I joke lightheartedly, doing what I can not to pout.
"Not like you'd have believed us about Tag. And you don't really like hearing about Dane," Corbin says with a one-shoulder shrug, acting as though that explains it all.
I frown, suddenly feeling a little selfish. "Dane and I were best friends for five years. He was there for me when no one else was. If he has a sister, I want to know. If he has a girlfriend, I'll pass on learning."
They all smile lightly, and I silently curse the tequila. Stupid truth serum. I should have left off the last part. That was too much.
Kode shifts beside me, sitting a little tenser.
"You want to go to the party tomorrow?" he asks, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to my shoulder.
He's always affectionate when he drinks. More so than usual.
"No. I'd rather not. He should get to enjoy his time with his sister instead of having me there to make it awkward."
"You two ever going to fess up to what happened?" Dale grumbles, crossing his arms as he cuts his eyes toward me.
"Yeah. Sure. It's a short story. Not
hing happened," I say, watching them all roll their eyes before shifting the topic toward the party.
"Nothing at all," I mutter dryly, keeping the surly comment low enough for only my ears.
Chapter 3
DANE
You'd think I'm a teenager right now—playing games, feeling antsy about seeing a girl, changing my clothes over and over. Hell, I've even practiced what I'll do when she gets here. My palms are sweating, and I'm sick. So sick. Fuck. I'm eighteen again.
A silver Audi rolls into my driveway, distracting me enough from my pacing to offer a little reprieve. Step one of my plan is here.
The party is already underway, and everyone seems to be thoroughly wrapped up in the alcohol and festivities, so no one notices when I step away to greet my secret guest.
Long, sleek, tan legs show themselves first before the platinum blonde hair draws my attention. If she was anyone else, I'd think she was enough to turn my head, but she's not anyone. And quite frankly, since Rain has been back, I have stopped noticing other women at all.
I groan and curse myself for even letting her get under my skin.
As if my love life wasn't already fucked up enough because of the girl. Six years. Six damn years, and I've been unable to achieve any sort of real relationship, despite my best efforts. There's always that rift between me and every girl who isn't Rain, because no one measures up to the girl I once knew. Not even the woman she is now meets the standard she once set.
"I was surprised to get your invitation," Tria says while stepping toward me.
To be honest, I never imagined there would be a day when I invited Rain's evil half-sister to my party, but if Rain insists on putting her hands all over my brother in front of me, then it's time to fight back. She hates Tria, so my plan to piss Rain off goes into effect tonight. Our playing field needs to be level.
"Well, you've told me more than once that you want to find a way to be in Rain's life. Here's your shot," I say nonchalantly, not trying to make this seem like a big deal.
Her scrutinizing eyes prove to me she's not buying what I'm selling. It's true, but also misleading. I really would like to see Tria and Rain get close, but my main motivation behind my proposal is to infuriate the blonde who has haunted my dreams for longer than I care to think of.
"Your plan was vague on the phone. Are you proposing we pretend to be in a relationship or something?" she asks while crossing her arms over her chest.
I chuckle while looking around to make sure no one is watching or listening. All I see are the flickering lights inside my house, and all I hear is the loud thudding of the wild music.
"No, nothing that prosaic," I murmur while turning back to her, finding amusement in her obvious confusion. "And I'm not that immature. I'm proposing we become friends. I mean that sincerely. Not just for pretend. But... I don't want it to look sudden, simply because it'll come off as contrived, and you'll never get accepted. We have to make this look as though we've been friends for a while, meaning you'll have to look comfortable around me."
She relaxes slightly. I can't believe she thought I'd do something as childish as pretend to be in a relationship. I refuse to see pretending to be friends as anything less than genius. Nope. It's not immature at all.
"Won't she just hate me more if you and I are suddenly acting like besties?"
"Doubtful. She and I haven't been close for years, so it's not like you're moving in on her territory. Look, just say yes or no. It's simple. How else are you going to be in the same room with Rain if she won't tolerate your presence?"
A flash of pain taints her hazel eyes, and I feel a twinge of guilt for how harsh that sounded. Before I can apologize, she groans in defeat. "You're right. This probably is the only way. Just... the other Sterlings... don't let them... I don't want to deal with them."
Her gaze falls to the ground. It seems like she's... scared? The guys never even acknowledge her.
"What do you mean?" I ask, propping up against her car.
She looks around, as if she's paranoid she's going to be overheard. No chance of that. Most everyone is already drunk. The party wasn't supposed to start for another ten minutes, but the majority of people got here two hours ago. Kode is probably wasted by now, since he showed up first. I'm surprised he peeled himself away from Rain.
I force the bitter thought away so I can concentrate on Tria.
"Corbin, Maverick, and Kode torture me any time they think I cross some freakishly stringent arbitrary line. All I have to do is look at Rain wrong, and they do something... terrible."
My lips turn in a frown. She's holding a grudge? Since high school? She's the one who started it.
"The only time I've ever known of them retaliating is when we were in school and you started the rumor about your parents taking in Rain because she was fucking people for food."
Her eyes widen in horror as a gasp flies out of her gaping mouth. "You think I started all that?" she squeals. "The only thing I said was that she was a charity case my family felt sorry for. I was thirteen, Dane. I wasn't going to announce to the judgmental snobs at school that my father fucked the maid and had a kid right around the same time I was conceived. It would have humiliated my mother even worse. Was I selfish and bitchy? Yes, I was. I repeat—I was thirteen. You don't make the best decisions at that age. Was I a vicious monster that spread that terrible shit around? Hell no. I was sick when I heard what the rumor had escalated to."
Given her extreme sincerity and utter disgust, I actually believe her. I wish I had known about this back then. I spit in her food for two years because of that. Damn. I probably shouldn't mention that.
"Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"I did," she growls. "Your jerk brother and cousins refused to listen to me. I almost became a pariah after that, because no one messes with a Sterling. All eyes fell off Rain and all whispers turned into rumors about me. Did you ever hear the rumor about me having an abortion at fifteen?" she asks, letting her lower lip tremble.
"I... did," I mutter slowly, not sure where she's going with this.
"Kode started that. He even bragged about it to me."
"No," I sigh. "Kode might have claimed that to your face, but Jerry Conlin started that. Not Kode. You turned down Jerry and went out with that Schuster kid from public school. He had pride, and you messed with it, so he punished you."
She wipes a tear from her eye while looking away. "Well, Kode was the one to shove that snake in my locker, steal my real clothes while I was dressed out for gym, and more than once he stole my homework, which meant I had to stay in detention and redo the assignment. Maverick hid my car every day for a solid year—I still don't know how he did that—and Corbin had most of the guys terrified to date me because I supposedly had some rare disease that could leave their balls shriveled up."
I stifle a laugh on that last part. That shit was funny. That rumor stuck for a while, too.
I cough to cover the laughter when it tries to slip out, and her eyes narrow accusingly at me. "All I'm asking is that you keep them under control. Any time Rain and I would have a normal dispute—like sisters often do—they would find a new way to torment me. If someone intervened every time you and Kode argued, and then you were relentlessly tortured for upsetting him, how would you feel?"
Shit. She knows how to bring out a blanket of regret. I want to kick my own ass at this point.
"I'll make sure no one fucks with you. Are you in or out?" I ask impatiently, trying not to show her all the guilt I feel.
I get what she's saying. There was even one time when we had her car towed for parking in a "no parking" zone. Thing is, we pushed it into the no parking zone first. Again, probably not something I should bring up right now.
"If you promise they'll leave me alone, and if you promise you'll help me find a way to get Rain to tolerate me, then I'm in."
"Then we have a deal."
She tilts her head, curiosity in her eyes. "So, no offense, but you and Rain obviously had some sort o
f falling out, since she talks to you even less than she talks to me. How did you even get her to agree to come here tonight? And why did you want her to come? And why do you care if she and I find a way to get along?"
It's not like I can tell her what's going on. But a small smile graces my lips. "She and I share my cousins and brother. She's living in Sterling Shore again, so we have to find a way to get along because we'll be around each other whether we like it or not. I care if you two find medium ground because Rain needs family. As for getting her here... The guys are here. They want her here. Maverick and Corbin have gone to make it happen because they want to get things back to the way they used to be."
She hesitates, possibly letting it all sink in, and rightfully being suspicious of my true intentions, and then she nods. "Fine then. Let's start the ruse."
A delighted grin crosses my lips as I usher her toward the house. Rain started this war, but I'm the better player.
As Tria and I work over the quick back-story of our friendship, Kode stumbles into the foyer.
"Damn. Stay away from the Jell-o shooters," he slurs, laughing after, and then his eyes fall on Tria. An angry gleam glistens, and he shakes his head in disgust. "You're an asshole. If Rain shows up, she'll hate you for this. Idiot."
Tria tenses beside me, and I take a deep breath. "Tria and I have been friends for a few months now, Kode. You should get all the facts before running your mouth. This is my house, my guest, and my rules apply. Watch how you talk to and about her."
He rolls his eyes while mocking a salute and stumbling out onto the balcony. Tria exhales heavily, and she visibly relaxes beside me. He really does scare the hell out of her. Why?
"Told you I'd handle him. Relax," I comfort.
"Rain isn't here yet. He'll be worse when she is. Not to mention, the others will be, too."
As long as the guys fall for this, they won't start anything.
After thirty minutes of explaining to everyone here about my friendship with Tria, I start wondering where the hell Rain is. Maverick can talk her into anything. I know damn well he hasn't lost his edge, because she flew all the way to Vegas just two months ago when he wanted her to watch some ridiculous circus show with him—something they'd always talked about watching when we were still in high school.
