Storm Front (The Charistown Series) (Volume 2) Read online

  The guys in Storm Front thought her lyrics were fantastic and said her hooks were contagious. But Ashley knew that when she and Ryan collaborated the songs they created were unbelievable. So, while she still wrote the majority of the bands lyrics, she and Ryan would get together once or twice a week to work on new material. Since they’d started dating they’d spent a whole lot more time writing than they ever had in the past.

  That afternoon, they really had started out writing, but as the lyrics became more intense, so did their gazes. With each second that passed, the atmosphere between them became more and more charged until keeping things professional was no longer an option. One glance reassured her that she wasn’t the only one having difficulty maintaining concentration.

  She still couldn’t believe that Ryan Baker was hers. She wanted to lick his smooth tan skin. To graze the tips of her fingers over the shadow of the dark scruff that covered his jaw line. So that’s what she did.

  At her touch his eyes went molten. “It’s hard enough to concentrate when you look at me the way you do, Princess, but when you touch me…” A deep growl sounded at the back of Ryan’s throat and he lifted Ashley’s face to his, consuming her lips with a deep hungry kiss. The moment he touched her, time stood still. Once his body pressed against hers everything else just evaporated, as it always did when they were together. The outside world ceased to exist. She reveled in the feel of his guitar calloused fingers on her smooth skin.

  The expert way his velvety tongue caressed her lips. His hand traveled from her jaw to her neck and continued its descent down to her breasts. It was no secret how responsive she was to his touch. Her nipples were hardened points, straining against the material of her sheer bra and tank top.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes, Princess,” he said in a husky voice. Reaching down, he took the hem of her tank between his fingers and swiftly whisked it off. The sun-kissed flesh and blonde hair highlighted with spun golden locks had her gleaming like a goddess, a goddess that was all his. He had planned to tell her that he loved her this weekend, but seeing her draped across her bed with the honeyed rays of the sun streaming in from the window, he couldn’t hold it in another second.

  Even at nineteen, Ryan knew his love for her was more than puppy love. He had known it for a while. The only reason he had held off sharing his feelings with Ashley was because of her age. He was scared that at seventeen she wasn’t yet ready to hear his admission. No, you coward, his inner voice chided, you haven’t told her because you’re scared that she doesn’t feel the same way. Man up Baker! Tell her!

  “Ry?” Ashley’s eyes questioning his. She knew him so well, she always knew when his mind was off somewhere else. Just one more thing he loved about her.

  “Ashley, baby, I need you to know something.” It was in that moment he realized he wasn’t nervous to say the three words he had never uttered to another girl in his life. In his heart, he knew she was the one for him…he had no doubts. “Ashley, I love you.”

  Tears filled her eyes as she nodded her head and smiled. “I know you do.” Ryan smiled back relief washing over his body and then it was quickly replaced by tension. His shoulders pulled up tight, his back went straight, and his lungs lost the ability to breathe… She didn’t say it back.

  “Ash?” His heart was beating frantically. Had he read her wrong? Did she not feel the same way? He could have sworn….

  “Ryan,” Ashley placed her small hands on his jaw, turning his face so their eyes met. He dropped his chin, unwilling to meet her gaze. She inhaled, quieted her voice and called to him. “Ryan, love.” At the term of endearment his heart began to race. He lifted his gaze to see her cheeks were wet with tears, and her eyes filled with the tears still waiting to fall.

  “Tell me what you see when you look at me. Tell me what you’ve always seen since I was fifteen years old.” Ryan just stared at the beautiful woman in front of him.

  “Every time you’ve come into our house to see Leo, every time you’ve looked at me, every time we’ve written a song…what have you seen?” She didn’t give him time to answer. “Ryan, I have loved you from the start. I have fallen in love with you over the years and I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Leo always says I’m stubborn and I guess he’s right. I’ve never given up on you, Ryan. I’m just glad you’ve finally caught up.” The tears rolled down her cheeks, “It took you long enough!” She laughed through the tension but she was interrupted as Ryan took her mouth in the most passionate kiss they had ever shared.

  She tugged at the hem of Ryan’s t-shirt, swiping it up and over his head. The sight of his beautifully sculpted chest took her breath away. Exhaling, she ran her hands up his chest and over his pectorals. As her thumbs drew circles over his sensitive nipples, she allowed herself to bask in the way they tightened in response to her touch. Quickly, she repositioned herself.

  She sat up with her hands supporting her from behind and inched forward, lowering her lips to the flat discs on his hard chest. With just the right combination of tongue and teeth, she was rewarded with a low groan coming from deep in Ryan’s chest. “Oh, Princess, when you put your mouth on me it makes me want to bow down to you…cherish you.”

  In one swift movement her shorts and panties were stripped from her body and discarded somewhere on the floor. Ryan started his worship at her pierced navel. He tongued the ring and kissed the skin below the indentation. His hands stroked her slim hips as his fingers set off waves of tiny sparks shooting across her skin. He continued to move down her torso until he hit the juncture at her inner thighs. Ashley was still a virgin. She and Ryan had decided to wait until her eighteenth birthday to have sex for the first time. She always complained that having her birthday on Christmas Day meant never having special birthday gifts.

  People always assumed that Christmas is a great time for a birthday but in truth her birthday was usually either overlooked or forgotten. This year she wanted to celebrate her birthday by giving him a gift. The most intimate gift she could…herself. She knew Ryan wasn’t a virgin by any means. He’d had sex before, but he had never made love, so her first time would also be a kind of first for him. Even though they never had intercourse they had done a lot of what they liked to call, “the other stuff.”

  Ashley’s eyelids became heavy as Ryan’s lips met her inner thighs. God, the things that boy could do with his lips. “Open your eyes, Ash. Watch me love on you.” She looked down at him between her legs and found his milk chocolate eyes staring back at her. Golden flecks of passion swirled as he dipped his head and took his first taste. It was all she could do not to pass out from that first touch of pleasure… She held tight to the sheets and threw her head back. Her body thrummed from the inside out.

  “Princess, you taste like the sweetest honey and finest wine.” Ashley loved when Ryan waxed poetic about her body. He sounded far older than his nineteen years. All coherent thoughts left her mind when he slipped a finger into her core and licked her swollen clit.

  “Oh God, Ryan, you make me feel so good.” He continued to pleasure her as he slid a second finger into her. A low moan penetrated the air and he closed his mouth around her sensitive nub and gently bit her. Ashley’s gasp at the subtle pain was immediately followed with a mew of pleasure as Ryan laved her clit with long strokes of his strong tongue.

  A heady mix of pleasure and pain coursed through her body. She felt her inner walls molding around his fingers as he slid them in just a fraction deeper massaging the magic spot that made her insides melt. Her body shook as her breathing became shallow. “Ryan, I’m gonna come…Oh…”

  His voice was rough as he told her, “Let go, Ashley. I’m here to catch you. Let go, baby.”

  So she did.

  And he did.

  Devil Himself

  “YOU SOUND AMAZING, Leo. Every time I think you can’t get better, you prove me wrong.” Ashley loved her brother’s responses when she complimented his progress. He knew that she would tell him if he sounded like shit—sh
e never shied away from the truth—so her compliments meant a lot to him.

  “Of course I sound great, little sis. Hello? I’m Leo Kynde! The voice of Storm Front.” With a smirk and a wink he quickly added, “Don’t tell Ryan I said that, he’ll kick my ass.”

  Ashley giggled watching Leo as he got up from behind his drum kit, grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge in the garage and drained it in one long gulp. The women were going to swoon over him during the tour. He’d been hitting the gym for daily workouts with Ryan all through the summer and his nights had been spent practicing at the local bars with the guys.

  Storm Front was going to be the next big thing—she could feel it in her bones. Wiping his face with his faded Eagles, Hell Freezes Over t-shirt, Ashley saw a white gauze bandage covered in plastic wrap on the side of Leo’s torso.

  “Leo!” She gasped. “What the heck is that?” While Ashley found tattoos extremely sexy on Ryan, she couldn’t imagine her brother ever marring his beautiful skin with permanent ink.

  “It’s just a tattoo, Ash, it’s no big deal. You don’t seem to have a problem with Ryan’s ink.” Leo wagged his eyebrows and quickly moved out of the way to avoid a lunging Ashley.

  “Holy crap, Leo! Mom and Dad are going to freak out. Did you show them?” Leo quickly tugged down his shirt.

  “Wait, I can’t see it. Take off the wrap. I want to see what you decided was so important that you thought it should stay forever marked on your body.” Ashley crossed her arms over her chest, trying to display an agitation that she just didn’t feel.

  Tattoos were sexy as hell, but the truth was she was more upset that Leo hadn’t told her he was going to do it. Finding out after the fact wasn’t the same. It felt like he was slipping away from her and that thought pricked her deeper than she cared to let on.

  “First of all, Ash, I didn’t need to ask or tell Mom and Dad because I’m eighteen. But, I did tell them and they were cool with it. They gave me the whole, ‘Go to a safe place and make sure they use clean needles,’ talk. Second of all,” Ashley could see the tension forming in Leo’s shoulders, “I didn’t want you to try to talk me out of it.”

  “Leo.” Ashley tried to interrupt him but he held his hand up to stop her from speaking.

  “Sweet little sister. I love you more than anyone in the world, you know that, right?” Ashley nodded silently. “But when you think you’re right about something you refuse to see it from anyone else’s perspective. Yes, you are insanely smart and as much as I hate to admit it, you’re usually right about most things. But you never allow yourself to just follow your heart, Ashley.” Leo exhaled loudly, as he ran his fingers through his coiffed hair. “And sometimes that’s the only thing that needs to be trusted. Sometimes, all of the black and white points to one answer, but your heart points to something else. Those are the times when you need to follow your heart. I really wanted this, Ash, and I didn’t want logic to stop me from getting it.”

  She was momentarily stunned. “Wow, Leo. That was the most profound thing I’ve ever heard you say. And I think I understand why you did what you did.”

  “If you understand then why do you have that look on your face?” Leo ran his hands over Ashley’s shoulders the way he had a thousand times before.

  “The truth?” She questioned, looking straight into Leo’s eyes. The same hazel eyes she saw when she looked in the mirror each day.

  “Always the truth, little sister. Nothing between us but the truth.”

  Trying to hold back the tears that threatened to escape her eyes, Ashley pulled in a deep breath. “I’m scared that I’m going to lose you, Leo. You went and got a tattoo without even telling me. You’ve never, ever done something so…so HUGE without including me. Next week, you, Ryan and the guys are leaving on your tour for three and half months and I’m scared that this is the last I will ever see of my brother. The real you.” The warmth of the tears caressed her cheeks as she felt her body being tugged into the familiar embrace of her brother’s body.

  “Ashley, you will never lose me. I will always be here for you. I love you with my whole heart. It doesn’t matter how rich and famous I become and believe me, I will become rich and famous,” he chuckled. “You will always be my baby sister and my best friend. When I get too big for my own britches—or in my case, my old concert tshirts—I’m gonna need you to rein me in. You got it?”

  Feeling soothed and loved, Ashley wrapped her arms around Leo’s broad torso and squeezed. “I got it, big brother. I got it.” Wiping away the remaining tears, she said, “So, do I get to see this heart inspired permanent piece of art, or what?”

  Leo lifted his shirt and carefully stripped off the bandage. Catching sight of the ink Ashley understood why Leo needed to follow his heart. He was right. It had led him in the right direction. Scripted beautifully down his ribcage, it read:

  The Darker the Storm,

  The Deeper the Pain,

  The Brighter the Light At the End.

  Always Reach for the Light.

  The sound of applause was almost deafening as Storm Front finished their last song on the stage at Riley’s Beach Bar and Grille. This was where the band had played their first gig and this was where they were playing their final show before leaving for three and a half months. Ryan’s ears buzzed from the noise and his blood thrummed through his veins. The band’s performance was incredible tonight. Zane was on fire with the keyboards, Jayson made the bass his bitch, and Leo melded into his drums as he always did when he played. The way he could sing with the angels and keep a beat with the drums was like nothing Ryan had ever heard before.

  He tried and failed to hold back the smile that took over his face as he looked at his band mates. He knew they sounded awesome and he couldn’t wait to perform in all of the amazing places they were headed. Sure, the venues would be small and Storm Front would be the opening act for the opening act, but they had to start somewhere. They felt like rock stars already.

  He looked out into the restaurant and quickly found Ashley. She was sitting at a table with her parents. Ryan thought back to earlier in the week when the Kynde doctors informed them that they had taken time off work to see the show. While Ryan’s dad never missed a performance, Leo and Ashley’s parents almost never made one.

  This was a huge event. Ryan was happy for Leo that they’d made the effort and saw such a great show. Ashley looked so prim and proper in her pink tank top and white denim skirt. Her hair was pulled back in a white headband and her lips shined with pale pink lip gloss. She looked heaven-sent. Ryan felt like the devil himself—his dick stiffening in his jeans as he took in her angelic appearance. He knew under all of that sweetness was his sexy vixen and he couldn’t wait to kiss and touch her later that night. He felt his skin prickle as he realized that she had once again caught him staring at her and would likely notice the desire rolling off his skin in waves.

  Her parents had left the table to talk to the band’s manager, so she sat there alone. Her eyes glittered with lust as Ryan watched her small pink tongue gently glide across her lower lip. With a growl, he hopped down from the stage and weaved quickly through the tables. Lifting her in his arms he spun her around, nuzzling her neck and discretely licking the sensitive place between her neck and her shoulder blade.

  “Mmm, Ryan. That gives me chills every time,” she purred. “Do you have any idea how sexy you look up on that stage without a shirt on? Singing our songs, playing your guitar, seducing the audience with your eyes?” Ryan felt himself harden further at her sultry words.

  “Princess, the things you say to me make it almost impossible for me to keep my promises and wait until your birthday.” He groaned when she pressed her body even closer to his.

  “Then let’s not wait,” she murmured, stroking his jaw with a whisper soft touch. “I want you now. Tonight. Let’s go back to your house and you can show me how much you want me.” The pleading in her voice was almost Ryan’s undoing, but the need to do right by her kept his resolve stron
g.

  “Baby, I want you more than music, more than air, more than anything. And we will go back to my house and I will show you how much I want you, but, I really want to wait until we get back from our tour to make love to you. When we finally have sex, I want to claim more than your body. I want your soul, Ashley. And I can’t take that and then leave you two days later.”

  His words set her skin on fire and her mind ablaze. How was it possible to love someone more than she already loved the man standing mere inches from her? Wrapping her arms around his still sweaty naked torso, Ashley pulled Ryan in for a mind-melting kiss. All of her senses were engaged in that moment. She loved how he smelled of sweat and the faded woodsy fragrance of his cologne. His milk chocolate brown hair was soft and damp as she ran her fingers through the short messy locks. His broad, naked chest pressed up against her breasts as her hands moved from his hair down his muscled back and nestled into the back pockets of his low-rise jeans.

  Pulling in a sharp breath, Ryan dropped his lips from Ashley’s and moved them to her cheek and then her ear. “Baby, we need to stop before I embarrass myself in front of your parents, and everyone else. Let’s go say goodnight and we can head back to my place.” With a breathy groan, Ashley nodded and linked her fingers through Ryan’s, following him through the crowd to find her family.

  “I think your new tattoo is really sexy, Ry,” Ashley said just loud enough for him to hear her over the crowd. Her fingers lightly danced across the top of his back as she traced the heavy black lettering that read Storm Front.

  Ryan turned, and pulled her close. “I’m sorry we didn’t invite you to come with us, Princess. Leo told me you were upset.” The chagrined look on Ryan’s face spoke volumes. “All of my major decisions from now on will be discussed with you. Okay?”