The Sterling Boys(5)

"Damn," he groans, pulling me closer. "I'm going to miss the hell out of you. Tell your parents you want to go to college here."

I smile against him as tears fill my eyes.

"I want to, but I want away from them. Come to Hudson instead."

He chuckles as he pulls back and kisses me softly on the lips, making my heartbeat speed up to the point I'm worried it'll explode. But the chaste kiss is all I get.

"I would, but my mom needs me here. I'll see you on every holiday break and numerous weekends though. You aren't getting rid of me that easily."

My grin grows to be embarrassing, and he tucks me under his arm as we make our way toward the restaurant. The boys whistle and send out catcalls when they see me. They've been trying to build up my confidence ever since the mastectomy and reconstruction.

They work hard.

"Daaamn," Maverick drawls, letting his gaze playfully rake over me in my sundress.

I roll my eyes while swatting at him, but I suppose this really is the first time I've ever worn a dress. Ever. Wow. That's sad.

"Shit," Dale says through a cough as his eyes roll down my legs, taking it all in.

I blush fiercely because their acting becomes too much. I love them for trying, but it's exaggerated overkill.

A few guys from school look our way, letting themselves appraise me from afar, which is curious—considering they never once noticed me much at school.

Of course, I was always in an oversized uniform instead of a tight sundress.

As we walk through the doors, Dane's fingers lace with mine, and I lean into him, enjoying the feel of his body against mine. I pray he calls me the second he reads that letter. If not, my heart is going to shatter.





Chapter 1





Present Day



RAIN



"I can't believe you're going back to Sterling Shore," Vivian, my personal assistant whines. "It's not fair."

"It's either that or never write again—obviously. I'm desperate, Viv."

I finish zipping up my carryon bag, and then I frown as the movers prepare to carry my stuff across the country. It's sure as hell costing me enough. You'd think I asked them to give me a kidney or something.

"I don't understand. The Easton Boys series is doing great. It's already getting more attention than anything else you've put out there. It even has a movie deal."

"And it was part of my old notebook ideas. All of my new stuff has flopped among the beta groups. My old stuff—the things I jotted down at random back when I was living in Sterling Shore—is all anyone seems to like. I need to go find whatever in the hell inspiration I can. I'll come back once I have a whole new notebook full of ideas."

She grumbles something about me being stubborn and it being in my head, but I choose to ignore it. The Easton Boys was all I had left. I really wasn't ready to write that story, but seeing as I didn't have anything—and I do mean anything—left in me, I finished it.

"I still don't understand why you wrote it under a different pen name. It's going to confuse a lot of your loyal fans."

"I've already told you; I don't want the guys knowing I wrote a book about them. I'll never hear the end of it," I groan while ushering her out of my empty apartment.

She goes with a begrudged motion, and I take one last wistful look at the place I've called home for... about a year. Moment over. No real memories here, just as there hasn’t been too many memories made in any of the homes I’ve had in New York.

All of my memories are in Sterling Shore, and I dread going back to face those memories.

Dane Sterling.

What will I do when I see him? What will he do when he sees me? I pray he and I don't cross paths very often, though that'll be hard to accomplish.

We run in all the same circles, and we share the boys. Kode crashes at my place every time he's in New York—which is often. Maverick and Corbin usually always come to sleep over with me and have some nights out—at least three times a month. And Dale usually comes when his fiancée is traveling for business, which is rare.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to seeing the guys more, but Dane... I'd rather sleep on a bed of needles for three months than face him for five minutes.

"I shouldn't have released the Easton Boys," I mutter to myself, cursing under my breath while shaking my head.

If Dane sees that, I'll feel like an even bigger fool. I doubt he's stalking the romance department, though.

"So Dean Easton is Dane Sterling, right?" she asks, probing.

I tried keeping a lid on where this all came from, but I got drunk, and the damn tequila betrayed me last night. Stupid truth serum.

"Yeah," I mumble.

"So... what's the big deal if he sees it? Last night you kept freaking out about him seeing it, but it's under a different pen, and it's a fictional piece. It's obvious you didn't use actual events all the way through."