I’d like to say I respect myself too much to fuck Maverick, considering his reputation, but Corbin’s reputation is just as bad. I keep my mouth shut instead of commenting.
The urge to cry slowly fades the more I stare at him. It’s so hard to take him serious when he’s wearing mascara and lipstick. This can’t be happening. It’s just too weird.
“Where are you taking me?”
He cuts the wheel, turning down a telltale road, and suddenly he doesn’t have to answer that. “I’m putting on some real clothes, washing my damn face, and then we’ll talk about this. I’m not arguing while I look like I’m about to start teaching a Sweatin’ to the Oldies class.”
My lips twitch, but I refuse to smile. I hate it when I’m pissed and he makes me smile.
“Why didn’t you just tell me you knew her?”
He groans, but doesn’t say anything as we pull into his driveway. Like a stubborn girl throwing a tantrum, I don’t get out of the car. Which is stupid, because Corbin is like 6’3 and two-hundred plus pounds of solid muscle. He’s built like a professional quarterback—lean muscle in all the right places without too much bulk. He definitely has no qualms about hauling me over his shoulder.
Which is exactly what he does five seconds later when I don’t move.
“Put me down!” I ineffectively pound his back, probably hurting my fists more than I’m hurting him.
He slaps my ass, and I curse. People on the sidewalk stop to take a look at the Sterling boy carrying me in like a fucking caveman. A caveman who is wearing blush, lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, and leggings. Not to mention his hair is just as ridiculous.
No one says anything, and I give up my struggle as he carries me through the doorway. He doesn’t put me down until he drops me on his uncomfortable bed.
“I’m getting really sick of being tossed onto this shitty mattress,” I grumble.
“Too bad,” he says as he heads into the bathroom. “You need to get used to it, because I plan on keeping you on it for a while.”
One hour ago, those words would have me stripping out my clothes and desperate for him to make good on that threat. Now… Well, this has ruined the mood worse than me accidentally kicking his ass in the shower.
I move over to a sofa that is… hard as a rock. Does he not know how to buy anything comfortable?
When he walks out, his face is freshly scrubbed, revealing the small dark marks under his eyes that make me think how good this morning almost started. He’s wearing a pair of track pants that hang low on his hips, teasing me with that V I’ve yet to fully enjoy.
He comes to sit on the corner of the bed, facing me as I stay on the stone slab he calls a sofa. He blows out a long, exhausted breath, and his eyes come up to meet mine.
“I’ll tell you everything, if you promise you’ll stay with me. Don’t make me use a triple dare.”
Okay, so a piece of my heart breaks with that, especially when I see so much sincerity and fear in his eyes.
“You really just ran into her? Someone you knew on my campus?” I ask, needing to know that right now.
“I wouldn’t lie about that, Ruby. It was a huge coincidence. Much like you stumbling into that fucking room at all the worst times. Coincidences do happen. A lot. There’s a reason ‘what a coincidence’ gets used so much.”
Sighing, I lean back, studying him. The past is the past, and I knew I had to move on from it when I agreed to hand him my heart again. Well, part of my heart. I don’t trust him with the entire thing just yet.
“Just tell me what happened so I can get some closure over it all.”
He stands in one smooth motion, and he comes to sit right beside me. His arm slides around my waist, and he lifts me like I’m weightless, dragging me over to straddle his lap before his other arm loosely wraps around me.
I’m essentially eye-level with him, and close enough for his breath to bathe my lips. It’s teasing me, even though it shouldn’t be having such a strong effect under the circumstances.
“I’ll tell you. Right now, I just need to have you.”
I groan when his lips move to my neck, trying to distract me with how incredible they feel against my skin. It’s like having two pieces of silk nibble you while a very skilled tongue drives you out of your mind.
“We’re still talking,” I mumble, fighting a losing battle.
“We can talk later.” He leans back so his eyes can meet mine again, determination pooling in their depths. “I’ve only been able to talk to you all week. I’ve gone to sleep getting to hear your voice. You’ve teased the fuck out of me for so many years, that it still doesn’t feel real to actually have you. Finally. Fucking finally. Now this shit happens. I need a reminder that it’s real.”