"You can't because my cousins will be there?" I ask, sitting up a little better.
She curses as she turns to face me. "If your cousins are going, then Rain is going. And Tria too. And Ruby. Ash asked me if I was coming to the bi-weekly girls' luncheon this Saturday, and I told her I had a lot of work to do."
My grin returns. "You lied to get out of lunch and now you'll be busted?"
She nods, then grimaces. "I hate lying. This is why I don't lie. You always get caught," she says in a whisper-yell.
"You don't have to have lunch with them if you don't want to. And I'll tell Mav and the guys that I bullied you into coming or whatever you need me to say."
"Then you'll be lying," she points out. "I think that will just cause an escalation in bad ju-ju."
My eyebrow quirks. "I am bullying you into coming," I remind her. "Because you're coming willingly or with resistance. You're coming regardless, is my point."
Again, it looks like she's trying to stifle a grin.
"You're incredibly bossy," she says, amused.
"You knew this before you walked into my house and willingly turned yourself over. Now go pack. Thirty minutes."
"How am I supposed to be ready in thirty minutes?" she sighs, this time sounding genuinely annoyed.
"Hair up, clothes on, and bag packed. Hurry. We can shower and stuff when we get there. Besides, we had two showers last night."
To this, she actually blushes, possibly remembering why we were in the shower twice. Being kinky can be messy when edible props get involved. There's still a thing of chocolate beside the bed, along with some other things.
I stand and grab a bag as she moves toward me and brushes her lips against mine.
"Hurry," I repeat.
She scurries out, a smile on her face, as I toss a bunch of shit into the bag from this room. Should be fun passing all this through security.
"Hi, Harley," I hear Maverick say a little too loudly.
I hear her mutter something akin to a good morning before the door shuts. Just as I walk out of the room with a bag, Maverick is there, grinning.
"Harley is coming with us. Not one word about you dicks knowing about all … this."
I gesture to the room behind me.
"So she still thinks you're a Dom? Obviously she has no clue what one actually is or she'd see right through you. Unless you're really good at roleplaying?"
He's baiting me, but I don't bite. I shrug, unconcerned as I walk to my room to grab some clothes.
"And this weekend is officially going to suck," Maverick says, still following me around.
"Why's that?"
"Because I was going to bring Chloe with me until I found out Ruby has an issue with her-thank you very fucking much, Corbin Sterling." He groans, but my back stiffens as I look over at him.
"Chloe Macintosh?"
He nods, his eyebrows furrowing at my tone most likely.
"No more, Mav. She can't be around, and honestly, she should be dead to us."
"That thing with her and Corbin was eons ago, and she had no idea Ruby was in the picture," he says dismissively. "That was all Corbin and he admitted it."
I finish dressing and turn to face him.
"Chloe was one of the girls who participated in the flagpole incident involving Harley."
Maverick doesn't get serious often, but immediately he turns serious when it's needed.
"Got it," he says quietly, a chill to his words. "No worries."
I knew I wouldn't have to say more.
I quickly grab a bag and pack clothes into it, and Maverick moves on like we didn't just have a serious conversation.
"Think Harley has any kinky, casual, single friends who wouldn't mind a weekend of debauchery in Aspen?"
"Vivica Drivel is probably available," I say, smirking as he coughs on air.
"I'll stay away from any girl who is crazy enough to run a revenge business, fuck you very much."
"Think that's her only friend."
He groans. "Great."
In no time at all, Harley pulls back up in my car, and Maverick and I join her. She looks like she spent longer than thirty minutes getting ready, and I hope that lipstick is the kind that doesn't rub off.
With Harley beside me and Maverick in the back running his mouth about random things, we drive to the airport, and hustle through to the security line.
Then … I get called to the side as they start rifling through my bag.
The woman shamelessly digging through my things pulls out a tube of … does that say Anal Ease?!
"Is this yours?" she asks, her eyebrows going up as I clear my throat.
"It's ours," Maverick says, tossing his arm around my shoulders.
This time when I think of killing him, it's no idle threat.
She clears her throat as a pink blush stains her cheeks. "This should be in a bag," she tells me, handing me a clear plastic bag to put it in.
Trying to ignore the snickers and eyes around us, I grab the Anal Ease-why is it written in huge, bold letters?!-and shove it into the bag. Then toss it back into my bag.
Maverick winks at me. "Let's go, honey. I can't wait to try that out."
Dead. Killing him dead.
Harley is waiting with her bag, doing all she can to restrain her laughter as we near her. Maverick is grinning like he just won an award.
"You realize you're shaving years off your life every time you do this shit?" I growl.
"Totally worth it," he gloats.
"Dale?" Harley says as Maverick goes off in front of us, probably seeking out the rest of our crew.
I don't even look at her, still wondering if I can rewind time and not put that shit into my bag on accident. I didn't even know I grabbed it. Hell, I didn't know I had it.
"Yeah?" I ask, still sounding like a jackass.
"Your dick is too big for my very virgin ass." I choke on air as she pats my chest, smiling up at me. "Not happening. Hard limit."
Before I can even attempt an explanation, Maverick is walking toward us with the rest of the weekend entourage. Harley tenses at my side when she sees everyone.
She's never had to say it, but I can tell I'm literally the only Sterling she trusts or likes.
A weekend in Aspen with Harley with four other Sterlings she pretty much hates …
What the hell am I thinking?
Chapter 29
HARLEY
What the hell am I thinking? Why am I in Aspen with the Sterlings? The freaking Sterlings?
This is not my life.
Groaning inwardly, I clutch Dale's hand like a lifeline as we make our way to the cabin. Britt is one Sterling outside of Dale that I enjoy talking to, but I know I'm not supposed to know her. Which makes keeping that secret more deceitful than it did before.
"New decks all around," Kode says, eyeing the said decks.
"Needs a new roof though," Maverick points out.
None of the guys have spoken to me other than quick pleasantries when we met them at the airport. Rain and Tria invited me to go with them to the store. They were grabbing supplies. I graciously declined the invite, since Britt was going with them and I didn't want her uncomfortable. Ruby invited me to go with her and Corbin to grab some liquor. I gingerly refused once again, since I don't really know her and don't particularly like Corbin.
Dale is the only one I feel comfortable with, and I don't trust anyone enough to stay below target-radar. Maybe they're all different. They never directly made my life hell, but I saw plenty of collateral damage once upon a time.
In case you haven't noticed, I don't trust easily and I hang on to the past a little too much with a white-knuckle grip. It's fine to forgive and forget. It's ridiculous to assume everyone grows up to be better people.
I'm not ridiculous.
I sleep with one eye open. Metaphorically speaking of course, because who can really sleep with an eye open unless they're an alien or something?
Dale separates from me, and I stand there awkwardly as he joins in on looking at all the flaws the massive beast of a cabin has. If you can call it a cabin. It's a mansion with logs, if you ask me.
It's not technically in Aspen, but it's close enough.
I bet it's beautiful in winter with all the snow.
After a while, they finally walk in, and Dale gestures for me to follow. I try not to act like an outsider looking in, but I wish I had just stood my ground and stayed home.
I caved like a rotten tomato under pressure when Dale seemed so adamant about me coming. How pathetic is it that I feel special because he wanted me here?
It feels real. It'd feel even realer if he had asked me in advance, but I believed him when he said he forgot this was even planned.
My eyes take in all the wood work on the interior, finding it hard to breathe. It's gorgeous. The cathedral ceilings next to the hand-carved bannister that hosts more rooms upstairs is beyond breathtaking.
Suddenly, Dale's face is blocking my view, and he smiles down at me.
"Come on. Let's grab a room."
I just nod as he leads me down the hall, trying not to be nervous as we do domestic things that shouldn't feel so comfortable and easy. Like unpacking our bags into the drawers in the room we selected.
It's not the master. Then again, it's hard to tell what is the master, since all the rooms are massive with their own bathrooms. There's even a Jacuzzi attached to the deck just outside.
Maybe I snicker to myself while putting the Anal Ease into the beside-table with some of the other tubes of things Dale brought along. It's not every day you see Dale Sterling turn a few shades of red while his cousin pretends they're a couple.