Tagged & Ashed (The Sterling Shore Series #2) by C.M. Owens Read Free Book Online

ramble, and he shakes his head just as the first big boom rattles the sky.  I look out to his balcony to see the first of the fireworks extraordinaire, and smile as the crackling embers sizzle and fade into the night sky.
    “I didn’t want to watch them alone.  My balcony has a great view, and since you’re already here, you can keep me company.  I can avoid the giggling eyes of everyone who watched me splash in the Little Mermaid fountain this way.”
    I let a laugh escape, and he grabs the bottle of chilled champagne from his bedside table before ushering me out onto the balcony.  His room is way better than mine.
    “And I thought the princess room was nice,” I murmur, feigning envy.
    He snickers as the second boom erupts, and a vibrant green lights the sky before turning to white in a starburst pattern.
    “This was my room growing up,” he says as we sit at the bistro table.
    He scoots his chair over to where his body is dangerously close to mine, and then a loud pop rings out as he frees the champagne bottle of its cork.
    “Sorry,” he says as the bubbles crackle over the rim.  “I don’t have any glasses.  I’ll run and grab some.”
    “I’m not exactly high-class, so I can manage,” I say while taking it from him and bringing the bottle to my lips.
    I smile as the fizzing bubbles gather inside my mouth before sliding down the back of my throat.
    Mmm.
    He smiles as if he likes my low-maintenance maneuver, and then he takes the bottle and shows his more relaxed and less formal self by mimicking me and turning the bottle up as well.
    “So, you have your own room here?” I muse as our eyes turn to catch the next big, thunderous beauty enriching the starry sky over the ocean.
    “Yeah.  I practically lived with Melanie from the time I was eight until I graduated, so I have a room in all her homes.  Melanie is the closest thing to a mother I've ever known.”
    My heart breaks a little.  Billy never mentioned that.
    “Oh.  What… um… never mind,” I ramble, realizing I shouldn’t ask such a personal question about his real mother.
    “She left when I was a kid - my real mom - if that’s what you were going to ask.  My dad did one thing my entire life that I really appreciated, and that was dating Melanie.  I remember praying they would get married and she really would be my mother.  Although their relationship was brief, Melanie made sure my dad let me come over.  I ended up spending more time here than at home.”
    Shallow Tag is very hard to resist.  Real Tag... this is going to end badly for, but I'm going to enjoy the ride.
     
    ***
    Tag
     
    I can’t believe I just told her that.  What the hell am I thinking?  I never talk about this shit.  I swear I’ve lost the filter on my mouth around her.
    “I’m surprised Billy never mentioned that to me,” she murmurs softly while staring directly into my eyes.
    I could get lost in her stormy blues.  I barely know her, but she's getting inside my damn head.  How the hell do I get her out?
    “Bity never appreciated his mother’s affections toward me.  He was a jealous kid with a chip on his shoulder.  I’m sure there’s a lot he hasn’t told you about his family.”
    Like all the fucked up shit he’s done.
    She half smiles, and then I see her shivering as the wind picks up.
    “Cold?” I muse as more of the bursting beauties light up the sky.
    “A little.  I was on my way to my room to grab a blanket before the firework show, when I heard the music playing in your room.”
    Is that really the only reason she lingered outside my room?  I hate feeling all the damn uncertainty she causes.  There are so many mixed signals.  It’s making my head hurt.  I feel like a fucking chick.  I'm so going to lose my man card if she keeps messing with my head.
    “I’ll be right back,” I murmur while jumping up and heading to the room.
    I grab the tan, velvety blanket dressing the chair, and then I head back out to take my seat