I forget she doesn't give a shit about any other Sterling but me. It's one reason I'm worried about Maverick's crazy-chick warning from earlier, only I'm the fucking crazy chick in this scenario.
And I've already tied Harley to a bed.
"Rain has always been there for us. Always had our backs. Mine included. She's legitimately like family to me. And I treat her like a kid sister."
She studies me, as though she's thinking of that. "I bet that was nice to have when she was younger."
She faces the front, and I think about how hard it was for her.
"Dane brought her in because he was in love with her. The rest of us fell in love with the idea of having a sister, and Rain fit the bill, earned her place by showing loyalty," I go on.
I pause, thinking back, then continue.
"Love her or hate her, she was the glue that held us together as kids. She's remained our glue into adulthood, more so now than ever before. Our great-grandparents had one son and one daughter. Their daughter died when she was sixteen, and our grandfather eventually had four sons. Those four sons went on to have one son apiece-and Dane was, of course, adopted. No daughters. Sometimes my mother jokes about that being the reason our fathers were the way they were."
"How so?" Harley muses, genuinely curious as I continue to drive.
"Mom said you need a woman you trust and admire, even revere as a sister, to know how to treat women. Because a sister won't hesitate to tell you when you're being an ass. A sister also won't hesitate to kick a girl's ass when you're too blind to see what's happening. Our fathers never had that. Rain gave us that. Not saying she molded us into the men we are, because she didn't. But there's no doubt that we're better around women because of her."
"I think that's just who you are," she tells me, her fingers threading through mine.
I lift her hand, kissing it with a small smile.
"Even Maverick," I go on. "Maverick might be a player, but he only hooks up with girls he thinks are on the same level as him-out for fun and nothing else. He doesn't want to hurt anyone or risk hurting someone. Corbin never went to Rain for advice, never acted like his true self in front of her so that she could set him straight, and he right fucked up most of his chances with Ruby."
"Ruby?"
"She wasn't there tonight because she had to keep her shop open late. Hence the reason Corbin sat in the corner acting like a surly kid tonight."
"I remember her!" Harley says. "She left Sterling Shore when she was young though."
I just nod, not wanting to divert to a conversation about Ruby. I do find it funny she'd rather talk about Ruby than Corbin. I love that about her.
"Ruby had already stolen that spot for Corbin, and Rain never got to be as close to him as the rest of us because of that. Only, Corbin was in love with the one girl who could set him straight, and Ruby was too in love with him to slap him upside the head when he needed it."
She laughs under her breath, shaking her head.
"I've always liked Tria," she finally says.
"I wish we'd bothered getting to know her instead of being typical kids," I say on a sigh.
Her hand squeezes mine, and I look over to see a small, thoughtful smile on her face.
"What?"
She shrugs. "I was always the one getting hammered, but I have no regrets about the way I treated people. You were always the one on top. I guess I never thought about being on top one day causing regrets. I always get to look ahead. Regrets divide your attention between future and past."
I snort derisively.
"More regrets than I care to count," I admit.
"Is this really happening?" she asks as we pull up to my house and I park, her voice quiet and unsure.
It takes me a second to realize what she means, since it's such an abrupt conversation shift. My hand drops hers, and I slide my fingers into her hair, pulling her to me for a kiss that has her moaning into my mouth.
"Yes," I finally say against her lips.
Her eyes flutter open and lock on mine for a few heartbeats, and finally we're both rushing out of the car. I'm smiling and she's giggling as we hurry to my door, practically breaking it down to make it inside.
I find her mouth again, kissing her as I kick my door closed behind us. My hands are all over her body, frantic and needy. Hers are just as frantic and needy, ripping open the front of my shirt and sending buttons scattering across the floor.
I lift her, and she kicks off her heels before I put her back down, so she can walk faster. She finally breaks the kiss, and we're both panting as I grab her hand, tugging her toward my bedroom.
"Where are we going?" she asks as we pass the damn playroom thing.
I'll put it to use another night.
"My room."
She doesn't say anything else before we're in my room, and my mouth is back on hers as I start ripping at her leather pants, pushing them down. But those suckers are suctioned to her, making this less sexy and more difficult.
She giggles against my lips before breaking the kiss again to start helping me out. I decide to go ahead and toss my destroyed shirt aside, and I reach for my pants, not even thinking about it as I push them down.
Usually there's a moment's hesitation, remembering that a lot of girls panic a little when they actually see my leg.
But Harley doesn't bat an eye as she tugs her shirt over her head and comes back at me, not even glancing down at my leg. She practically shoves me to the bed, and suddenly I realize something.
She's taking control. Or at least thinks she is.
Chapter 24
HARLEY
Dale flips me over just as I climb on top of him, and suddenly I'm the one on bottom, breathing hard and half out of my mind as he holds me down, a dark smile playing on his lips.
"You don't get to control this," he says, clutching both my wrists with one of his hands.
He's such a wall of muscle that he makes me feel tiny in comparison.
He slides his hand down my body slowly, taking his time. The only thing still on are his boxers, and I can't help but appreciate all the tattoos and lines of muscle.
His hand moves over the soft swell of my stomach, and reflexively, I try to suck in. It's a futile attempt, but I don't care. He doesn't seem to mind it at all.
When his hand finally finds the part of my body that wants him the most, a breath hisses from my lips as my hips arch, and he groans in response.
"So ready already?" he muses, leaning down to collect a nipple into his skilled mouth. "I should tie you up, enjoy some of the things in that other room that you'll let me do to you, but I want you in my bed tonight. All night. Tomorrow, we'll try other things."
Tomorrow.
A sense of giddiness hits me any time he talks about the future in any respect.
This feels surreal. And I'm developing that same unhealthy obsession I had before. But this time, it is real. Which makes it twice as risky.
He kisses me as he shuffles between my legs, settling his weight down on me. I feel every hard ridge of him, including the hardest part of his body that I still haven't gotten to touch or see. It's only through the fabric of his boxers that I feel him, but I want more.
"Let me make you feel good," I whisper against his lips, as my leg touches his prosthetic, feeling the metal there.
His weight shifts again as his free hand slips between us.
His boxers come down, and I suck in a breath as I feel the tip of his erection pressing against my-
"Feel how good?" he asks, a smirk playing on his lips as he leans back.
He reaches over, still keeping my hands trapped above me, and I watch as he slides the drawer open and pulls out an unopened box of condoms. Yes, unopened. Can't even believe how satisfied that makes me feel.
He releases my hands, and he tears into the box before tossing me a condom.
"Put it on me," he says, his blue eyes trained on me, watching.
I swallow thickly, trying to wrap my head around the fact I'm seriously going to have sex with the man who has starred in more fantasies than I can count.
With shaky hands, I tear open the wrapper, and I toss it somewhere behind me as my eyes flick down to that …
Wow.
His cock is not insanely huge. But he's perfect. And it's definitely going to feel good.
"Staring like that is testing my patience. I need inside you, Harley," he says through strain.
Those words mean almost more than a premature confession of love would mean.
I reach forward, wrapping one hand around him, and he grunts, thrusting reflexively in my grip.
Oh yeah. This is going to feel really good.
I want to spend more time touching, but I quickly roll the condom down on him, only thinking of how well-practiced I seem too late.
He doesn't seem to mind as he comes back down on top of me, securing my hands above my head again with one hand as he uses his other to guide himself inside me. The tip barely presses in, and I blow out a breath, tensing with anticipation.
"Relax," Dale says, brushing his lips over mine as he settles his weight on me again.
Relax, he said. I almost want to roll my eyes. I've only been waiting on this impossible fantasy to come true for … an embarrassingly long time.