The Sterling Boys(65)

Rain's laughter floats to me, and my grin grows. "I've missed it, too. But right now, all I want to do is—"

"Don't finish that sentence. I may love you like a brother, but I'll kick your ass if you share those sorts of details with me about Rain."

I burst out laughing while shaking my head. "I was going to say that all I want to do is get Rain out of here and go home. I've got something to ask her."

Dale sighs out in relief and visibly relaxes. Like I'd give any of them those sorts of details.

Rain looks over at me, smiling when her eyes meet mine, and she crosses the floor to close the distance between us. Right before she reaches me, Lisa Marion from the Sterling Shore newspaper stops beside me, recorder in hand. I thought I already finished with her.

"Can I ask where you came up with Rainy Days? It almost sounds a little... depressing."

Rain comes to stand by my side, and I wrap my arm around her, letting the world see just how much I love her.

"I named it after Rain. Her mother always loved rainy days because the rain always seemed to make everything better. When she had a daughter, she named her after the falling drops that always made her smile."

Rains eyes tear up, and she looks up at me. "You remember that story?"

I bend to brush a sweet, chaste kiss against her lips. "I remember everything you've ever told me."

She starts to speak again, but Lisa interrupts.

"Do you care if we do an interview with you? This story is a really big deal, and the paper wants to do a larger piece on it and you. They'll probably want to speak with your brother and cousins as well. And of course Ms. Noles, also."

Rain nods absently, and I agree to do the interview. Lisa retreats when Rain pulls me down for a deeper kiss.

"Let's get out of here," she whispers, and I lead the way hastily.





Chapter 14





DANE



"You couldn't have been a virgin. You were so... good. At everything. How could you have been that good if you were a virgin?" Rain asks, kissing my bare chest as she traces the lines of the tattoo on my arm.

"I was. Everything I did was pure instinct and what I'd heard the others talk about. It's not like I read a how-to-fuck manual. And I swear I was a virgin."

She giggles while pushing her face into my chest, and I pull her bare body closer, not ready for our afterglow to end. Britt is with my mother tonight because she wants to take her shopping in the morning. That gives us all the privacy in the world.

I spent the afternoon trying to track down Pete Mercer, and then watched Kode stomp his ass before unveiling the masterpiece I've dedicated six years to. Since we've been back, we've spent the entire night in bed, mostly talking. I hate this topic, but it was bound to come up at some point.

"But all those rumors about you and those girls—"

"Were just rumors. I turned down a lot of girls in high school. Not all of them were happy with that, and their pride was at stake. So... well, they'd claim it, and it was sort of hard for me to deny it without announcing to the whole damn school that I was a virgin."

Her grin is beautiful as she looks up at me, craning her neck so that she can see my eyes.

"So I was your first," she says simply, but I can tell she's loving this shit.

"Yep. You popped my cherry the same night I popped yours."

She laughs harder, as do I, and we just lie in each other's arms.

"And this friendship with you and Tria was spontaneous. You did all of that to make me jealous?"

I shrug, ignoring her haughty grin. "Little bit, yeah. But I also wanted you two to get closer. Especially after she explained things."

She seems to accept that, and she grins bigger while staring at my book collection. I didn't mean to share that secret. I'm kicking my maid's ass for putting them on the shelves. I had them hidden under the bed for a reason.

"I can't believe you've read all my books."

I roll my eyes while groaning. "Some things should be kept a secret, damn it."

She giggles and kisses my arm, running her lips over the tattoo this time. "I'm glad you read them, considering you're my inspiration for writing."

My chest tightens, and I turn to face her. I'm her inspiration? This is the moment I've been waiting for.

"Move in with me," I murmur quickly, trying not to get worried when she goes still in my arms.

"What?"

Taking deep, steadying breath, I put my body above hers, and press my weight on her just enough.

"Move in with me. I know it's soon, but I think we've wasted enough time. We've barely spent any time apart in two months, and you know how much I love you... Move in with me."

Slowly, her grin comes back, and she nods. "Okay. But you're telling the guys."