Identical Disaster (The Sterling Shore Series Book 8)

by C. M. Owens

  Hell, three different doormen stopped me and made me prove I lived here before they’d let me up, since they’d never seen me before. How do they remember all the people who live in this building?

  “A girl walked me in. I told her my friend just moved here. Had to find out from Dustin where you even lived. Pretty shitty, don’t you think?”

  “Pretty weird to show up at my place at the ass-crack of dawn, don’t you think?” I ask, unlocking my door and waving him in.

  My bedroom door is still shut, which means Bo is still in the bed, waiting for me to join her. I hope.

  “Woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep,” he says as though that explains what he’s doing here. “You’re pissed at me about those photos, aren’t you? I didn’t know the circumstances. I was just reporting what I saw. It’s not like I could have seen that coming, dude.”

  “Keep your voice down,” I whisper, motioning with my head for him to follow me to my kitchen.

  He looks confused as we walk into the somewhat spacious kitchen, and he glances over his shoulder before facing me.

  “Did you take a girl home last night or something?”

  I guess he didn’t hear Viv when she told me Bo was watching me or see who I went after. First time Viv’s ever acted like a real sister looking out for me. Her friend… Amber? Andrea? I don’t remember. Anyway, she almost fucked up everything for me all because she was too drunk to stand up or sit down without leaning on someone.

  I kept finding crafty ways to dodge her when she’d run her fingers over me. And Bo was watching.

  A smile lights my lips when I think of how pissed she was. Bo was pissed, and she let me know it. That’s already a step in the right direction.

  “So you gonna tell me why you ignored me last night?”

  Oh yeah. Cody is still here.

  “Dustin invited you there. Not me. I’m not pissed about the photos, dude. I’m pissed that you were lurking outside my girl’s apartment. No way did you just happen to be walking by when that happened. I blame myself for rushing off to yell at her instead of focusing on that detail sooner. What’s your fucking issue, man?”

  He looks down for a second and takes a breath.

  “You and Dustin are all that’s left,” he finally says, looking up as his shoulders slump. “Since she came around, you’ve barely even hung out with us. She’s done nothing but cause issues, and so yeah. I might have had a few long meals at the diner across from her apartment building. Not proud of it, but there it is. I thought I was doing you a solid.”

  I want to grab all the stupid he just spewed and shove it into his ears so he can really hear it.

  “Bo hasn’t caused any issues, you jackass. You’ve caused the issues. She hasn’t done anything to provoke you. Dustin and I are just fucking fine. You and I are the only ones with any problems, and every one of those problems is your own making. Get the fuck over yourself. I have a girlfriend. It’s not the end of the world!”

  Internally I curse, because I said that way too loud. Cody looks back down at the ground.

  “How do we make this right?”

  “We don’t. You do. You have to make things right with Bo before you and I can even consider making things right. You fucked it up, you fix it on your own. And if you so much as even think about stalking her some more or trying to dig up more dirt, we’re so fucking done that you won’t even be able to see our ‘friendship’ in the rearview mirror.”

  The hurt that crosses his eyes belongs with all the stupid he’s been blabbing. No way does he not understand.

  “We’ve been friends since grade school, and just like that, you’ll be done? Over her?”

  Taking a step closer, I swallow down some of the anger. A brawl does not need to happen in my home, because Bo will come out and try to break it up. No fucking way am I going to risk her getting hurt.

  “Yeah, Cody. Over her. She’s not the one expecting me to choose, but I’m choosing her. One day, I seriously hope you understand why. Until then, fucking deal with it or don’t. Your choice.”

  He sucks in a sharp breath before turning and walking out. Or starting to walk out. He hesitates in the living room, his eyes training on where Bo is leaning against the bedroom doorjamb.

  She looks frustrated and sad at the same time, and I want to kick Cody’s ass for causing that.

  Instead of making a bigger scene, he moves to the door, throws it open, and storms out. I go over and lock the door, then lean against it as Bo comes to prop a hip against the couch.

  “I never wanted you to have to choose between your friends and me,” she says quietly, but she doesn’t drop her eyes. Her gaze stays locked on mine, showing me how genuine those words are.

  “He’s the one who forced this. Not you, babe. Don’t even worry about him.”

  I push off from the door and head directly over to her. Her hair is still tousled from the night, but she’s wearing one of my shirts that hits her mid-thigh.

  Her hands go to the front of my shirt, holding onto the fabric, and I tilt her head back before brushing my lips across hers.

  “You chose me,” she whispers, her lips twitching as she tries to restrain a smile.

  I pull back, cocking an eyebrow. “I should have chosen you last time. But in a way, I think it was probably best that I went ahead and fucked up. That way it’s already out of the way.”

  She tries not to smile, but fails, and she winds her arms around my neck.

  “You still love me today?” I ask her, smiling when she grins up at me and nods.

  “You?” she asks, a hint of teasing in her eyes.

  “I could probably use a little convincing today,” I tell her, sighing as though I’m putout.

  She rolls her eyes, but then pulls me down by my neck, forcing our lips together. When her tongue sneaks in, my hips thrust toward her on instinct. She drives me crazy, and I have no control.

  She breaks the kiss and laughs lightly when I try to continue it.

  “I have some ideas of how to convince you today,” she says playfully, winking when I swallow hard. “Hope you have the day free.”

  I lift her and start carrying her to the bedroom.

  “All yours until Monday,” I tell her, landing on the bed with her trapped under me. This time when I kiss her, she moans into my mouth, and I tear away all the layers of clothes between us.

  The second I thrust inside her and become enveloped by her hot, tight little—

  “Fuck me,” she whispers, silencing my own thoughts with that one command.

  I obey.

  Chapter 52

  BO

  After spending the rest of the weekend in Jax’s apartment, it actually feels strange to walk into my own home. It suddenly feels really big and empty, and if I didn’t have to get ready for work, I wouldn’t be here right now.

  Considering Jax’s T-shirts and sweats won’t do me any favors in my “fashion” business, I’m forced to be here and scrambling to get ready at the last minute.

  A gasp leaves my lips the second I walk into my bedroom and see clothes everywhere. Bora emerges from my closet with one of my newest outfits on.

  We both get the same options of clothes to bring home, so why does she have to do this?

  “Why does my room look like a bomb went off?” I growl, glaring at her.

  “Because I desperately needed something to wear, and you did lose a ton of my clothes in that fire,” she says absently, running a hand over her hair before ruffling it a little.

  Same hairstyle, but her hair looks a hell of a lot better than mine right now.

  Which is not the part to focus on.

  Take control of your life.

  “Clean it up,” I tell her.

  “I don’t have time,” she says without looking away from the mirror.

  No time like the present to practice my arguing skills.

  “Clean it up or never borrow anything from me again.”

  Her eyes turn toward me, then she grins.


  “You know you love me. I’ll clean it up later,” she lies. She never cleans it up later.

  “Bora, I swear, if you don’t clean it up right now, I will never let you borrow anything again. In fact, you’ll be banned from my closet indefinitely.”

  Even though it sounds awkward and not too intimidating, it’s still an ultimatum.

  The surprise that registers on her face definitely sends a tinge of pride into my chest.

  “Okay. Sheesh. Chill. I’ll clean it up now.”

  She warily casts a glance over her shoulder before she starts picking everything up and hanging back up.

  “And make sure it’s put up by color. That’s how my closet is organized. Follow the color wheel.”

  She starts to speak, but then seals her lips when I stare at her like I’m daring her to argue.

  She freaking bites her tongue. I can’t believe it.

  Grabbing some of the clothes on my bed, I walk into the bathroom to change and make myself presentable. I don’t smile until I get the bathroom door shut. When the smile spreads, it almost hurts because of how wide it is. I showered at Jax’s—with him—so I go straight to putting on makeup.

  Ever tried to put on lip gloss when your smile is stretched widely across your face? Not an easy task.

  It takes me a little while, but when I emerge, my room is just as clean as I left it. Just out of curiosity, I poke my head in my closet and see the color wheel is still in place.

  It’s a small victory to some, but to me, it’s frigging monumental. Bora Brendon just did what I told her to do instead of brushing me off and making me feel as though her time is more important than mine.

  Holding my head a little higher, I walk into the kitchen to grab something quick to eat. I’m forced to settle for a banana, since my options are limited.

  Bora is on the couch, flipping through a magazine. Gee, I thought she was in a hurry, I think dryly.

  Then remember I won the argument—yes, the argument—and a smile blooms on my face again.

  She glances over her shoulder when I walk toward her and puts the magazine down.

  “I don’t want to walk by myself to work,” she says, grabbing her purse as I grab mine.

  She probably wants to grill me about where I’ve been all weekend, and I can’t wait to tell her.

  “I have a pit stop to make,” I say as we load into the elevator.

  “Oh?” she prods, trying not to be overly eager and start interrogating me.

  “Yeah, I sort of promised I’d stop by the gym and see the samples of Jax’s new line of protein bars and shakes.”

  I deliberately don’t mention that I haven’t seen them yet because they were getting delivered to the gym this morning. Because it’s Bora, and I want to mislead her just to drag out the suspense. A little payback is warranted, even if it is late in life.

  The elevator opens and she follows me off, quickly pouncing on that.

  “So you guys are seriously doing this friends’ thing. Um… Whose clothes were you in this morning?”

  Jax’s t-shirt and sweats has surprisingly gone unmentioned until now, and I smile to myself while ignoring her question.

  “Mom and Dad going to call me soon with the news?” I ask instead.

  She frowns while walking, probably thinking of her text to Jax that told him I was at Silk and wondering why he never messaged her back. It’s cute that she was trying to be all shady and helpful. Never pictured Bora as the worried, meddling sister type.

  “I don’t know,” she finally says, sighing as though she’s upset. “Bo, I love you, but you aren’t a one-night stand kind of girl. Don’t let some guy take advantage of you when you’re on the rebound.”

  The sadness in her voice almost has me spilling details, but we’re at the gym, and I definitely don’t want to spoil it when the finish line is this close.

  As soon as we walk in, I see Tria walking toward us, even though she’s not dressed for the gym.

  “Hey,” she says, beaming when she sees us. “What are you two doing here?”

  “Came to see the new line for Jax’s thingy,” Bora says bitterly.

  Tria cocks an eyebrow at me in question, but I just grin and shrug.

  “I came with Kode to deliver it, since we’re about to head to New York. He has a meeting with some reps about the launching of the line. Jax doesn’t want anything to do with the business side of it, so he and Kode are going to be partners.”

  Tria’s makeup line is officially in Pretty Posh territory now, and she’s definitely one of my favorite people to work with. Now Kode is going to be partners with Jax. Funny how small this world really is.

  “Bo!” Jax’s excited voice has me looking past Tria, and he waves me over.

  Before I can walk in his direction, Bora is clutching my arm.

  “Holy sweet bad boy from heaven. Who the hell is that?” she asks, looking over as a shirtless guy with numerous tattoos stands from a bench and wipes sweat off his brow.

  He’s not bulky with muscle, but he definitely looks like he’d be able to bench press me without breaking a sweat. He runs a hand through his black hair, pushing it away from his forehead, and letting it stick up like it’s supposed to be that way.

  Tria’s groan draws my attention back to her.

  “Don’t even attempt it, Bora. He’s too much for even you to handle. That’s my cousin—Ethan Noles. He just moved back.”

  Bora’s slow smile spreads. “I can handle any man in any position. There’s no such thing as too much sex.”

  “Eww,” Tria says, wrinkling her nose while choking on a gag. “That’s not what I meant. I meant he’s too big of an asshole for even you to contend with. He’s barely nice to me, and that’s only because we’re related. I just threw up in my mouth, so excuse me while I go rinse it out.”

  I snicker while Bora continues to salivate. But then… Ethan Noles walks by, and Bora turns up her charm.

  “I have a king-size bed that would look perfect with you on it,” she bluntly states, causing me to groan.

  He looks at her with complete disinterest and walks away like Bora didn’t just offer him free sex. That’s a first.

  “Never mind. He’s gay,” Bora says on a sigh as Ethan moves over to another weight machine.

  “Not gay,” Tria says as she returns, her lips twitching as she tries to not smile. “Just an asshole. He only wants girls when he wants them, and then he’s done when he’s done. Sorry. Tried to warn you.”

  Bora shrugs, because she’s already over it, and we head to the counter so Jax can show me all of his awesome new goodies. Power bars, protein bars, protein shakes, protein powder… It’s like the Incredible Hulk starter kit with his gym logo—crisscrossed weights—behind the JM on it.

  “What do you think?” he asks, beaming at me.

  “Love it,” I say with a smile, knowing whose abs those are on the label, even though his face is cut out.

  He comes around the counter and picks me up, and Bora makes some strangled noise when his lips connect with mine. I giggle in his arms—yes, I’m a giggler again—and clasp my hands together behind his neck, deepening the kiss.

  Whistles break out all around us, and Jax grins as he puts me down. The kat!

  “Really?” Bora squeals, smiling like an idiot. Then she scowls at me. “That was mean. You let me think you two weren’t back together.”

  She leaves out the one-night stand assumption.

  I wink at her as Jax’s arms come around my waist, but Bora glances down at the time.

  “Shit, we have a meeting in ten minutes.”

  Jax sighs, but it’s a content sound.

  “Tonight? My place or yours?” he asks, as I turn in his arms.

  “Yours.” He smiles when I make that decision. How can I not? He got a new apartment because of me.

  “Pack a bag. A big one.”

  I giggle like the giggling fool I’ve turned into, and he kisses me again before Bora starts pulling me out by my arm. Relucta
ntly, I go with her, but we’re met by a face I wasn’t expecting to see the second we reach Pretty Posh’s floor.

  “Dad,” I say, confused.

  “Dad,” Bora hisses between her teeth, already walking by him like she’s trying to get out of the way.

  “What’s up with her?” he asks as Bora hurries toward her office.

  “I… have no idea,” I confess, shrugging.

  “Bora Brendon, get your ass back here,” Dad calls out.

  I see her cursing before massaging her temples and stomping back toward us. She’s five sometimes, I swear.

  “So… you have something you want to tell me?” I ask him just as Bora returns. She flinches for some reason.

  Is their reconciliation bothering her?

  “Yeah,” Dad says, smiling. “Get a bag packed. The four of us are going to Ireland for a week. Your mother and I decided it was a good time for a family vacation.”

  No, it’s not weird, because we used to do family vacations all the time—when they weren’t even together.

  Okay, maybe it’s weird to people who didn’t grow up like that. I was just happy to get to see them for a solid week or two at a time, so it didn’t bother me if it was weird.

  “Can’t,” I tell him, sighing. “Specs have gone out for the winter line. We have to be here for all the decisions and kinks that come out along the way. Sorry. So… Just tell me now instead of on vacation.”

  He frowns. “Tell you what?” he asks.

  Bora shoves at him, pushing him into an empty conference room, and she grabs my hand and tugs me too. Why? I don’t know.

  “About you and Mom,” I answer, confused when Bora shuts the door.

  “What about us? Oh! Is this about Bora almost walking in on us at the hotel after my show? I’ve told you girls what it means when my “Do Not Disturb” sign is hanging. I can’t help it if you use your emergency keys while that sign is hanging. Be glad your mother is such a screamer, or you’d have kept on walking in,” Dad tells Bora, who turns a funky shade of puce.

  “I heard about that, but I’m talking about the other thing. You and Mom… getting married…”