Identical Disaster (The Sterling Shore Series Book 8) Read online

My eyes move over as I smile, but that smile falls when I see who has him gripping my arm too tightly.

  “Holy shit. If she does live here, tell me she hasn’t been through anything bad. Like maybe she just needed a place to crash for a while or something?” he goes on, ignoring my jaw as it grinds.

  Cody bites his knuckle, turning away as his body shakes with silent laughter, and I watch as Bo walks our way, hesitating for only a second when she sees them.

  Her smile falters and she suddenly looks nervous. Why is she nervous?

  She’s wearing a see-through orange thing that does not cover up that skimpy bikini underneath it at all, and Dustin is eye-fucking her with every step she takes toward me. Her hair looks lighter, almost as though she had some blonde tint put in it, and it’s wavy, like she’s prepared to be on the beach now.

  “New hair?” I ask, biting back the unbidden anger that stirs when Dustin throws his charm her way, speaking before she can answer.

  “I’m Dustin. What’s your name? Or do you want to tell me over dinner tonight?” he asks, putting his hand out for hers.

  Bo cocks an eyebrow, then looks from me to him, but she doesn’t touch his hand. Can’t say that doesn’t make me feel a little smug.

  “Bo,” she says, still seeming confused.

  All the life falls from Dustin’s face as he turns to look at me in disbelief.

  “This is her? I think I hate you right now,” he groans, turning and walking away.

  Cody loses it, finally releasing the laughter he’s been holding back, and Bo casts a questioning look my way.

  “Dustin didn’t know,” I say with a shrug, and then my smile kicks up. “New hair?” I repeat, calmer this time.

  She fingers a lock of it, then shrugs. “The beach was wreaking havoc on it, so I had to do something.”

  There wasn’t a damn thing wrong with her hair, so I don’t know why she’s lying.

  “What’s up, Bo? Or am I allowed to call you that?” Cody asks her, still halfway laughing.

  “I prefer Bo,” she says obliviously. I guess she doesn’t know Bora knows Cody.

  “The last time I called you that, you told me I couldn’t,” he tells her as his brow furrows.

  “I don’t remember,” she says with a shrug, turning back to me. I notice her biting her lip and avoiding eye contact with us.

  “You okay?” I ask her.

  “Just… I don’t always do well in groups. I’ll adjust.”

  She picks at a piece of lint on her see-through dress, and Cody starts laughing again.

  “Seriously? You’re so full of shit!” Cody argues. “You’re the biggest attention whore I know!”

  Bo frowns, studying him for a minute. If I had to guess, she’s probably trying to remember if she’s broken up with him for Bora before. This is getting ridiculous. And old.

  Fuck it. I’ll just talk to her about it all tonight after the guys head out to do their own thing.

  Bo doesn’t come up with some witty lie to cover for herself. In fact, she doesn’t acknowledge Cody at all. Which I like. Bora always flirts with any guy around. Never bothered me, because she wasn’t going home with them, but for some reason, I’d be pissed if Bo flirted.

  I was ready to punch Dustin just for looking at her. Shit. I’m losing my mind.

  “Can we talk?” Bo asks me, eyeing Cody when he frowns at me.

  “Why do I feel ignored?” Cody asks, pouting.

  Bo turns and heads inside, and I follow behind her. Obviously we’re going to talk about my friends being here. I guess she doesn’t trust them, and I understand that. It’s not like she knows me well enough to trust my judgment.

  Just as we get inside the room, she shocks me with something I wasn’t expecting.

  Chapter 23

  BO

  Just kiss him. Then you’ll know.

  Since we’ve been here, Jax hasn’t kissed me. He’s kissed Bora. But now he’s playing games.

  The second he shuts the door, I do it before I chicken out. My hands fly up, and his eyes widen just before I grab his neck and jerk him down, crushing our lips together.

  And… he doesn’t kiss me back. In fact, it’s the most awkward kiss in the history of all awkward kisses.

  I pull back, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as I take a step back and keep my eyes locked on his, waiting for the inevitable truth to fall from his lips when the surprise ebbs. The ruse is about to be over.

  “What was that?” he asks, clearing his throat.

  “Apparently nothing,” I mumble, wishing I didn’t feel tears stinging the backs of my eyes.

  Shanna was right; no guy interested in Bora would be interested in me. She’s the sex kitten. I’m the mouse. I’m the girl who wants to piss herself in a crowd. I’m the girl who can’t even—

  My thoughts cease when the second most awkward kiss in history takes me by surprise. Jax is on me, but I’m frozen as he pulls me to him. When his tongue slips into my mouth, I melt against him, and my fingers go to his hair, gripping too tightly, as the kiss grows heated, losing that awkwardness immediately.

  He groans into my mouth, and his grip slides down to my ass, jerking me against him tighter until our bodies are flush, and he lifts me to give him better access to my mouth.

  Instinctually, my legs wrap around his waist, and that sparks something primal inside him. He grows more aggressive as he hungrily explores my mouth, and those hands get bolder on my ass, digging into my flesh as he grinds against me.

  In one moment, I go from focusing on making my kiss good, to losing myself in a frenzy, desperately grinding on him like a lunatic. I’m on the bed in the next instant, and he’s on top of me, while my legs remain wrapped around his waist.

  “Fuck,” he groans against my lips, holding me to him as he starts kissing down my neck. My head lolls to the side, and I drink in the feel of his lips on my body.

  “Jax,” I whisper, trying to slow this down. I wanted a kiss, but I’m not sure I’m ready for anything else just yet.

  Before he can respond, someone bangs on our door, and I almost want to thank them. However, Jax spews a few curses and threatens to hit someone.

  “Sorry, dude,” Cody says insincerely on the other side of the door. “We’re heading in to town for some food and stuff. You ready?”

  Jax looks toward the door, then he glances down at me. His lips tense, and I realize he must have planned to go and leave me before I dragged him in here.

  “Go without me,” he says.

  “Really?”

  Jax brushes his lips against mine, and his hand rides up my leg in a slow caress.

  “Positive.”

  Cody lets out a disappointed huff before stomping away like a two-year-old. I don’t like his friends. I usually never like new people, but I really don’t like Cody. He apparently knows Bora, and I don’t like him being here because he expects Bora.

  “Dude!” Dustin’s voice booms from the other side of the door. “Get your ass out here. We’re going.”

  “How do they know which room is ours?” Jax growls. “Go away! Not coming.” He looks down at me while I try to catch my breath, and he pushes my cover-up up on my hips. “I have to talk to Bo.”

  The way he says it settles on my chest like a weight, and his gaze shifts as his jaw tenses. I almost wish he had gone with them now. There’s only one thing he can possibly want to talk about.

  I guess I only thought I was ready to end the ruse.

  Chapter 24

  JAX

  She looks terrified, and I tighten my lips, trying to ignore my dick’s input on timing. Yeah, I have shitty timing, but I can’t fuck her until we drop this stupid charade.

  “You’re not Bora,” I tell her, expecting her to panic.

  She just blinks. Hell, she doesn’t even look surprised.

  “No. I’m not,” she easily confesses.

  This is not how I thought this was going to go.

  Frowning, I study her eyes. No fear. No panic. Just… I
don’t know what that is in her eyes, to be honest.

  “Why did you pretend to be your sister? To dump me?”

  This time, she looks surprised.

  “How did you—”

  “I’m friends with Kode Sterling,” I interrupt, feeling my lips twitch when an array of emotions crosses her eyes. First there’s confusion, then I see a flicker of surprise, annoyance, and a touch of resignation. She finally groans while covering her face and cursing.

  “You have to be kidding me. You’re friends with Kode?” she asks, the words muffled by her hands.

  Smiling, I keep running my hand up and down her leg, half wondering why she just kissed me, and why she’s letting me continue to touch her like this.

  “It’s a small, small world,” I tell her.

  She drops her hands and peeks at me from under her long, dark lashes. When she draws that bottom lip between her teeth, I resist the urge to pull it into my mouth.

  “How long have you known?”

  No denial. No panic. No arguing or freaking out. It’s like she knew that I knew and has been waiting for this.

  “Since the day after we got here.”

  This time, she does look surprised. “That long?”

  I nod slowly, watching her reaction. “So what was with the naked sleeping?” she asks, still confused.

  My lips twitch as I slide up a little, moving to be on top of her better. I groan when my cock presses against her warmth, and she sucks in a sharp breath. I just meant to adjust to get more comfortable, but now I’m in pain. Fucking timing. Horrible, horrible timing.

  It’s a damn good thing we both still have on some semblance of clothing.

  “I wanted to fuck with you a little to find out why you were doing it.”

  She looks hurt at first, and I admit it makes me feel like shit. Why? I don’t know. If anything, I’ve been the victim. Yet I feel like the bad guy.

  “So all the sexual pressure—”

  “Was me being a jerk,” I confess.

  Her lips purse as she thinks that over, and she toys with my shirt while staring at it. Why am I still on top of her? My dick is asking the same damn question.

  “Why didn’t you call me out?” she asks, still playing with my shirt and studying her own movements.

  “Like I said, I wanted to find out your motives.”

  She looks up and drops my shirt. Her hands go to her stomach and rest there as she stares up at me and holds my gaze. Yeah, seeing her under me, keeping eye contact, and seeming so vulnerable… I’m not doing my cock any favors.

  “I had no motives, other than I didn’t want to cancel on you last minute.” She frowns. “Well, I didn’t want her to cancel on you last minute, I guess I should say. I thought she’d swap places with me, but she…”

  She lets her words trail off, and she closes her lips like she decides against finishing that sentence.

  “But she wouldn’t,” I finish for her. “Because Bora doesn’t give a damn about canceling something like this at the last minute. Right? However, you’re not Bora.”

  “Bora’s not a bad person,” she immediately defends.

  “Didn’t say she was. Selfish? Yes. Not bad.”

  She looks away, and I feel like she’s slowly slipping out of the moment.

  “So you what? Want to be here with me? Is that why you’ve stayed?” I ask her.

  She bites her lip and a small hint of blush creeps up her neck while she continues to refuse eye contact. I can’t help the smile that starts to spread. Can’t believe I’m into a shy girl.

  My hand slides farther up her leg, and her breath hitches as her eyes dart back to meet mine.

  “You want me?” I ask her, pushing against her a little harder and letting her feel how she affects me.

  I don’t think she’s breathing. Not sure if that’s good or bad.

  Finally, she lets out the breath she really was holding, and she gives one nod of her head. I try not to smile, but it doesn’t work.

  “I’m not her, though,” she says softly. “So don’t try replacing her with me.”

  My eyebrows go up in surprise, then I realize she has a valid point of concern, considering the situation. She probably thinks I wanted Bora here.

  “I wanted to dump Bora before this trip, but Mom pissed me off. So I was going to be a dick and use Bora to really piss off my mother in return. Mom thinks she has a say in who I date, and I do shit like this to remind her she doesn’t. Bora and I were apparently both tired of each other before this trip.”

  And Bo wanted to spare my feelings right before a family trip so it wouldn’t be ruined. That’s why she came out here with me. Yeah, I really am an asshole.

  Her expression is stoic, giving nothing away, but I can tell she’s thinking about that.

  “What’s going on in your head right now?” I ask her.

  “Contradictory thoughts,” she says on a sigh. “On one hand, I’m pissed because I thought you liked Bora, which is why I flew out here with you. I didn’t think you deserved to be dumped right before a planned trip together. On the other hand, I’m selfishly happy that you were done with her, because it makes this less… I don’t know. In short, I feel stupid no matter what.”

  A small chuckle escapes me, and her blush darkens.

  “And what are your thoughts on this new turn of events. Because I don’t want to use you to replace Bora. I happen to like you a hell of a lot more than I did her, but this is new territory for me. I don’t like shy girls, but you seem to be the exception. But then there’s the fact I dated your sister…”

  I let that last part trail off, because this is her hurdle. Not mine. I don’t have a problem with the sister thing. Fucked up situation, yes. But it’s not an issue for me.

  “I’ve never once even considered dating someone she’s been with… until now. It honestly doesn’t even bother me anymore.”

  “Anymore?” I prod, watching her squirm beneath me.

  “At first it did. Now… It’s like the thought is there but it isn’t there. Does that make sense?”

  My lips twitch. “A little. So we’re going to try this?” I ask, leaning down to brush my lips over hers.

  She leans forward, wanting more, but I deny her by pulling back and leaving her teased. Her breaths rise and fall rapidly, and she nibbles that damn lip again.

  “If you want to,” she whispers hoarsely, trembling like she just had a chill.

  I really fucking love the way she reacts to me. It’s empowering and intoxicating.

  Slowly, I bring my lips down to hers again, planning to tease her a little more, but the second her tongue slips into my mouth, my control snaps. She’s not holding back or being timid this time, and when she moans into my mouth, I grind against her, desperate to get inside.

  I push her dress up and out of the way before undoing one of the strings on her bikini, and she starts clawing at my shirt.

  Bam! Bam!

  Bo squeals and clutches me to her, and I glare over my shoulder as laughter breaks free on the other side of our door.

  “The fuck?” I snap.

  “Dude,” Cody says around a laugh, “we voted and decided you’ve been getting fucked all week, so you’re going with us to town. Come on. We’ll beat on this door every five minutes until you come—no pun intended.”

  I groan while turning back to a flushed and somewhat annoyed Bo, as she glares past me to the closed door. The guys continue laughing like teenagers as footsteps bound away.

  “Do you think they heard all that?” she whispers.

  “Nah,” I tell her. “They wouldn’t be patient enough to eavesdrop, and it sounds like they really think I’ve being getting fucked all week.”

  “Will they really knock every five minutes?” she asks, risking a glance at the door again.

  “Unfortunately,” I mumble, silently cursing my asshole friends.

  “Then you should go,” she relents, sighing.

  I slowly climb off her, ignoring my cock’s protes
ts. Then I reach for her to pull her off the bed. Instead of giving me her hands, she just looks at me.

  “I’m good here,” she says, waving me off. “I might go downstairs after you guys leave.”

  I snort derisively while shaking my head. “You’re coming with me. I’m not leaving you here while I go into town with my friends. That’s a dick move.”

  She shakes her head, scooting over away from me. “I don’t really like new people or large groups. I’m surprised I’ve been able to be around your family without my skin crawling.” She grimaces, then adds, “That came out wrong. I didn’t mean it like it sounded.”

  “My skin sometimes crawls around my family, so no offense taken. And that ‘reunion’ thing had thirty people at least. These are just two of my friends.”

  She continues to shake her head. “The reunion is different. I can’t explain it, but I’m really comfortable around them. New people… Not so much.”

  Sighing, I act like I’m going to turn away, waiting for her guard to go down, then I turn quickly and grab her ankle. She squeals as I jerk her down the bed, and I chuckle when she puts up a cute little excuse for a fight.

  It’s easy to subdue her, and I press my body back down on hers, trapping her in place as she glares at me.

  “Amani threatened my balls,” I tell her, watching as horrified fascination lights up her face and she battles a smile. “So you sort of owe me. My friends won’t threaten any of your favorite body parts. Promise.”

  She loses that battle with the smile when it spreads across her face, then it falls as she sighs in defeat. “Just let me change first.”

  My eyes drop down to her bottoms that are slipping off her hip—since I untied a string—and I also take in the see-through sham of a dress, or whatever it’s called. “Yeah. Definitely change.”

  She seems almost amused when I pull myself off her, and I try not to think about what I just said.

  Bo Brendon might be a bad idea.

  Chapter 25

  BO

  “Glad Dad has an emergency stash of credit cards ready to be mailed out at a moment’s notice,” Jax says as he swipes his card to pay for a sponge. A sponge?