Groaning, my head drops back. My luck these days…
In one day, I painted a naked mural on the side of a very public building, got fake arrested, and now I’ve eaten pot brownies. Sterling Shore is worse than Vegas for me, I swear.
“No matter what happens, and no matter what I ask you to do,” I say, pointing a warning finger at Wanda, “don’t you dare call Corbin Fucking Sterling.”
CHAPTER 19
CORBIN
As soon as I walk into the gym, I hear Shake That Ass Bitch start blaring over the speakers, and I groan. After spending way too long at the garage, I was hoping to miss Maverick.
Ruby came and searched for her car, and I hid out inside the garage to enjoy the show from above. Rye hid as well, and we let his lead mechanic lie to her, promising her Rye was already gone and he had no idea where her car was.
Maverick and Jax are both giving me smartass grins, and I flip them off while walking toward them.
“Let’s see you twerk, you bad bitch,” Maverick says, shaking his ass like he’s Shakira or some shit.
“Fuck off. I only have to comply with that dare if Ruby is around. It’s part of the stipulations for that one. Thankfully.”
“Well, damn. I really wanted to see this,” Jax says with a taunting grin.
Maverick exaggerates a pout, and I go to the bench, ignoring them both when they start laughing. Of course they follow me.
“Either you tell me what happened between you and Ruby all those years ago, or I start playing this song every time she’s around,” Maverick threatens.
Fucking. Shit.
He wouldn’t.
I look up to see that challenging, I-own-your-Sterling-ass-now look in his eyes, and I curse. He would.
“That’s shitty,” I point out.
“So is holding out on me all these years,” he says without an ounce of shame. “I tell you everything.”
“I don’t tell you shit, but I still want to hear this story,” Jax chimes in, coming to spot me as I lie back and prepare to start bench-pressing.
Maybe the bar will fall down and choke me enough to ruin my voice box. Then I won’t have to answer.
“It’s not that interesting,” I tell them. “There’s more hype to it than anything. You’ve built it up to be something epic, when really it’s the dumbest shit you’ve ever heard. Can’t you just drop it?” I ask, straining as I start to lift.
Jax and Maverick exchange a look, and they both say, “No,” at the same damn time.
Fuck.
After just three, I sit up, letting Jax put the damn weights back in place.
They both stare expectantly when Jax comes around to sit down on an adjacent bench, and I curse before running a hand through the hair I can’t get used to.
“Sometime this year would be nice,” Maverick drawls.
“Trying to figure out where to start,” I growl.
“Age fifteen. Summer break. You two were dating when you came home, and you went to see her at Christmas. You broke up and gave us no details. Age sixteen, you went to hang with her all summer. You came back pissed off and broken up. You wouldn’t say a damn word about it. Then… college. Sophomore year—spring break. You came home, skipped classes, wouldn’t speak to any of us for a few weeks, and you wouldn’t even talk about Ruby for months, even though you two were apparently still ‘friends’. Feel free to fill in all the blanks.”
Taking a deep breath, I try to swallow the monster knot in my throat before glancing around the massive gym to make sure no one is within earshot of our conversation. “If I tell you this, you can’t laugh. If you laugh, I’ll junk punch you. Got it?”
“Must be serious if balls are at stake,” Jax says, grinning like a dick.
Maverick shrugs, but he’s already smiling.
I can’t believe I’m about to tell the story I never thought I’d tell anyone. But Maverick really will play that song all the time, and to be honest, I’d almost like to have it off my chest. I’ve dealt with it all these years.
Guilt is toxic. Hell, I should be radioactive by now.
Maverick won’t be able to understand the dilemma it has put me in, but maybe Jax can help out.
“Not a word of this gets breathed to Dane, Kode, or Dale. Or any-fucking-body else, either. Or I swear I’ll never speak to you again, and I’ll fucking kick your ass in silence.”
Maverick nods, still grinning. He knows it’s going to be embarrassing.
“I was a virgin at fifteen.”
Maverick’s eyebrows go up, and Jax shrugs. “That’s the epic secret?” Jax asks. “Well, I was a virgin at fifteen too. Big deal.”
“No,” I grumble. “I meant, the first time we broke up, it’s because I was a virgin. I didn’t want Ruby to be my first, because I was afraid she’d be my last. Which would make her my only. Understand? Remember, I was fucking fifteen. It seemed ridiculous to be planning on staying with just one girl for the rest of my life.”