Storm Front (The Charistown Series) (Volume 2) (7 page)

“Okay, sis, come here.” Leo pulled her in one last time
dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “I will call you every day, I promise.
And you know you can call whenever you want. The time will go fast, just wait
and see. Between school and work and you hearing from colleges any day now, you
have loads to keep you busy. I expect to be your first phone call when you get
into the University of Pennsylvania, even before Romeo over there.”

“You will be, Leo.”

“I love you, sis. Now wipe off that awful plastic smile,
it’s freaking me the hell out.”

With one more squeeze, Leo walked away from Ashley and
headed to the front of the house. Almost as an afterthought he called over his
shoulder, “Two minutes guys. Seriously, don’t make me come back here with the
hose!”

Laughing, Ryan moved instantly closer to Ashley. His spicy
cologne filled her nose and his touch lit up her skin. Ryan was sensory
overload in its finest form.

All traces of laughter were gone as a look of sheer
adoration and love washed over his features. Yep, she knew she was a lucky
girl. “Ryan, I’ll be okay. I want you to go out there and enjoy every single
moment of this. You deserve it.”

Stroking the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip he
whispered, “But what I want is you. I love you, Princess. Please don’t forget
that.”

Staring deeply into his soulful eyes, she knew right then
and there that Ryan and Leo were right—trust was everything and she did trust
him.

The words Ashley spoke next were the elixir that eased his
worried mind. “Ryan, I will not forget
anything
about us. I love you
too. I always have and I always will. Now kiss me and go be amazing!”

Ryan stared for a brief second, murmuring something
unintelligible. Without warning he pulled her even closer to his chest until
there wasn’t an inch between them. Not even a sliver of paper could slip
through.

His fingers weaved their way through her hair, loving the
way the strands slipped through his grasp, and he pressed his lips to hers. The
kiss was intense and desire-filled from the second it started. He could feel
the way her body melded against his, the way she went boneless under his touch.
He reveled in the trust she gave to him and in their connection. With just one
look from her, he felt ten-feet tall, but when she kissed him, there were no
measurements to determine that feeling.

“Ash.” Ryan’s voice was hoarse with emotion. He begrudgingly
ended the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “The only thing I would
rather do less than stop kissing you is spend the day riding in a bus in
sopping wet clothes because I totally believe Leo when he says he’ll be back
with the hose if we don’t get to the driveway”—he looked at his watch—“…now.”
He pressed his lips to hers once more, this time breathing in her scent, trying
to capture it deeply in his lungs, his need to keep her with him becoming
vital, pivotal to his survival.

Nodding her agreement, she rolled her eyes and linked her
fingers through Ryan’s and walked to the front of the property to meet up with
Leo and Jayson.

The moment he pulled his hand from hers, coolness traveled
through his veins. Saying good-bye was painful, but not taking in every last
second together was torture. Ryan climbed into the van and took the seat
closest to the window. Their eyes locked, his hand ached from the tight fist he
had it pulled into. He lifted two fingers to his lips and kissed the pads
before pressing them back against the glass. Thank God the guys were leaving
him alone, because there was no way he could speak around the enormous lump in
his throat. He watched as she brought two fingers to her lips as if placing his
kiss directly on her mouth. The bus turned off the street before her first tear
fell.

The first of many tears glided down her cheeks. Watching the
bus get smaller and smaller as it drove off down the street, Ashley’s gut
churned. The morning had been an emotional rollercoaster at best. Earlier when
she was talking to Ryan about taking a break, she’d been terrified that he
might actually agree to it. Nothing could be further from what she’d actually
wanted, but she loved Ryan too much not to at least broach the subject. Leo had
warned her against it, of course—telling her Ryan would never agree to it, but
she hadn’t been able to help herself. She needed him to be happy even at her
own expense. His complete dismissal of her suggestion gave her the strength to
say good-bye without falling apart in front of him. And now her brother and
Ryan were off to ride on the winds of the
Storm Front
adventure while
she was left standing alone, in her big house, in her small town, all by
herself.

“I’ll be fine,” she told herself out loud. “Just perfect, as
always.”

Do Ya, Punk

“HEY, PRINCESS, IS now an okay time
to talk?” Ryan settled in the beat-up chair on the bus, with his feet resting
on the scarred coffee table. Just the sweet sound of Ashley’s greeting had his
dick hardening in his jeans.

“Hi, Ry. Yeah, I have a few minutes. I’m getting ready for
work and after that I have a study group for my Calculus class. How was the
show last night? Someone posted a clip on YouTube—you guys sounded amazing, as
usual. But, you…you looked delicious!”

Her voice was soothing to his tired throat and his aching
muscles. Ryan had never given any thought as to the toll performing on a
nightly basis would take on his body. The past four weeks had taught him that
no matter how much time he previously spent in the gym, the workouts were
nothing compared to the demands of being on tour. The constant moving, setting
up/breaking down, on top of their shows was exhausting.

“Yeah, babe, the show was awesome. It feels like we’re
finally hitting our groove. That first week was tough as hell. I thought Leo
was gonna throttle Zane at least twice and Jayson and I had one small fight,
but things are smooth now.”

“Boys will be boys.” The warmth in her giggle traveled
through the phone and straight to the core of his body.
God, I miss her. How
can I miss her so fucking much?
Those were the thoughts constantly running
through Ryan’s mind. It took more than a little effort to shake them off when
it was time to go from being Ryan Baker, the boyfriend, to Ryan Baker,
Storm
Front
’s front man and heart throb.

That was what the argument between he and Jayson had been
about. Jayson had said that Ryan’s concentration was for shit and if he
intended to be pussy-whipped the entire tour then they would have to look for a
new front man. Aside from Ashley,
Storm Front
meant everything to Ryan
so—on adrenaline alone—he’d thrown and landed a strong punch right to Jayson’s
jaw. Jayson, being one of four brothers, had no problem returning the jab. Both
guys had played the show that night sporting bruised faces and swollen
knuckles.

“Ry, you’re fading out on me honey, do you need to go?” Ryan
knew how much it bothered Ashley when he drifted off during their
conversations. He often told her not to take it personally, but she explained
it was hard not to take it any other way when phone calls and texts were their
only source of communication while he was on the road.

“No, wait, Ash, a couple things. First, I have a surprise
for you.”

“You do? I love surprises!” The excitement in her voice was
palpable. He loved that he was able to put a smile on her face even from so far
away.

“Your test is on Thursday, right?”

“Yes, last period, why?” He could hear the gears turning in
her head, which increased his own excitement tenfold. “I know you’re scheduled
to work both Friday night and Saturday afternoon but can you see about getting
someone to cover your shifts?”

Elation bubbled in her voice. “Ryan, what are you planning?”

“Princess, can you get your shifts covered or what?”
Confidence oozed from his voice. He knew she was going to love his surprise and
he couldn’t wait a moment longer to tell her.

“Yeah, Ry, I’ll ask Scott if he can take them for me. I’m
sure he won’t mind, especially since I’ve been helping him prepare for this
calc test.”

Just hearing Scott’s name sent tiny shards of ice through
Ryan’s veins. Scott James was Jayson’s younger brother and Ashley’s co-worker
at the restaurant. But Ryan had noticed the way Scott’s gaze lingered just a
little too long on Ashley. He’d seen the way Scott leaned in just a little too
close when he was speaking to her. He’d even heard Jayson and his brother talk
when they didn’t think anyone was around.

Scott had a major crush on Ashley and while it seemed as
though Ashley didn’t think of Scott as anything more than an acquaintance, a
co-worker, or a classmate, she also hadn’t noticed that her aloof feelings were
definitely not mutual. Ryan knew when a guy was interested in a girl. Hell, he
was
a guy, and he could spot “game” from a mile away.

“Ash, that’s all you’re doing with Scott, right?” Images of
that smug bastard sitting too close to Ashley popped into his mind before he
could control them.

Clearly not hearing Ryan’s change in tone, Ashley giggled.
“Oh please, Ry. As if anything would ever go on between Scott and me. I don’t
think so.”

He tried not to snarl when he said, “Great, then get Scott
to cover your shifts. I found a cheap flight for you to Jessup, Georgia. It
leaves at four on Thursday and the return flight is on Sunday morning. You
leave just before we head off to Atlanta. We’re playing in a bunch of small
towns that weekend so you and I will have some quality time together before the
band heads off to Atlanta for the bigger shows. What do ya think?”

As if the squealing wasn’t answer enough, he heard the
thumping of what could only be her jumping up and down in the cute way she did
when she was really happy. “Princess, you excited by any chance?”

“Ahhh! Ryan Baker, if you were here I would be jumping on
you instead of looking like an idiot in the parking lot of Penne Plaza! Oh,
honey, I’m
so
excited! I can’t wait to wrap my arms around you. Oh, shut
your trap. You know I’m not talking to you!”

The elated buzz that had him floating on a bubble popped
instantly, leaving Ryan flat on the ground, flat-out confused and more than a
little pissed off. “Ashley, who the hell are you talking to?”

“I’m sorry, honey. I was walking into the restaurant and
Scott heard me gushing and decided to butt into our conversation. But don’t
worry, I gave him my famous left-hook and he doesn’t have anything to say now.
‘Do ya, punk?’”

He could hear the humor in the words she spoke to Scott. The
tenderness he felt every time Ashley spoke to him remained but even so, his
vision was tinged with shades of green. Every muscle in his neck tightened as
he heard her turn on the Ashley Kynde charm. “Ryan, honey, let me go so I can
see about getting my shifts covered. Will you call me tonight after your show?”

Burying the feelings of jealousy deep into his gut, Ryan
replied, “Princess, every time I sing one of the songs that you and I wrote
together I swear I can feel you standing next to me, and we’ve been ending our
shows with
Deep Dark Kiss
, so yeah, baby, I’ll call you after the show.”

“Oh, Romeo.” Ashley had taken to calling him Romeo as of
late. He didn’t mind too much though because although she swore his lines were
cheesy he knew they made her swoon nonetheless. “I’ll be waiting by the phone.”
She giggled just before disconnecting the call.

Ryan looked at the screen of his cell phone, a picture of he
and Ashley peered back at him. How had he come so far so fast? He gently swiped
his thumb over their captured image.
How could one smart, beautiful girl
have the ability to turn his entire life inside out? Just as quickly as that
thought hit, another sparked in his mind…she could hurt you, man. Be careful.
She loves you, but, you aren’t there. Things could change at any minute.
Ryan
stared at the picture again, and mentally shook his head.
No, she’d never do
anything to hurt you. This is time and distance talking. This is your worry
about Scott James talking.
He left the confines of the bus and headed to
the venue to get some practice time in before the show. Playing always helped
to clear his mind.

Ashley held the phone close to her chest.
Deep Dark Kiss
was a song they had started writing before they’d even shared their first kiss.
She remembered sitting at the desk in her room staring at her note pad. It had
been the day before Ryan, Leo and the boys had left for their summer trip. Ryan
sat only a few inches away from her, watching as she wrote each word on the
paper. His warm breath sent chills through her body, beading her nipples and
moistening her panties.

She’d tried so hard to focus on the lyrics when really all
she’d wanted to do was turn her head the slightest bit and press her lips to
Ryan’s, to swipe her tongue gently across them and taste the satiny smooth
skin.

Words swirled through her mind, begging to be released onto
the paper, but embarrassment coupled with fear of rejection and sexual
frustration kept her hands still, even while her inner thoughts ran wild.

Dyin’
just to settle in and hold you

a
little closer

Dyin’
just to sip your lips

Dyin’
for your deep dark kiss

He’d been unusually quiet that afternoon, reflective even.
Thinking back, Ashley now knew that his mood was the result of his inner
conflict—wanting to finally share his feelings for her, but his loyalty to Leo
had held him back.

While the melody had come relatively easy, the lyrics kept
evading them. Finally allowing herself to pen the thoughts from her mind onto
the paper, she hadn’t dared to turn to face him. She hadn’t needed to move to
hear his breath stick in his chest. There’d been one beat of silence, and then
another while she’d mentally berated herself for exposing her cards to a guy
who meant the world to her. Worse still, her brother’s best friend.

In an almost unrecognizably hoarse voice, Ryan had exhaled
and said with a moan, “Ashley, my God.” She’d heard the scrub of his hands over
his face, and watched from the corner of her eye as he stood from the chair.
He’d leaned down and kissed her cheek before quickly exiting her room.

Repeatedly thumping her head against the desk she’d chided
herself for allowing him to see into her thoughts, into her heart. The guys had
left the next morning for the summer tour, their departure placing an icy
feeling in the pit of her belly.

The lyrics to the ballad had sat, unfinished, in her
notebook—a direct imitation of the way her feelings for Ryan sat unrequited in
her mind. It wasn’t until the night in the pool, when Ryan had kissed her for
the first time—the night he’d confessed his true feelings for her—that the
remaining words to the forgotten song had bubbled out of her like champagne.
That night,
Deep Dark Kiss
was completed and to date it remained her
favorite
Storm Front
song.

“Dude, what’d that phone ever do to you?” Leo pried the
defenseless cell phone from Ryan’s white-knuckled grip.

“What? Oh, nothing. I was just talking with your sister.”
Leo laughed at Ryan’s clipped tone and pinched expression.

“So, what’d she do to piss you off? I mean, Ashley can be
stubborn as hell, but she usually doesn’t get to you like this. Christ, you
usually act like she walks on water.”

The two friends started walking from the bus to the small
stage they would be playing on later that evening. Ryan watched as Leo climbed
behind his drum kit and yanked out a pair of sticks from his back pocket. He
loved watching his boy play the drums. Leo made it look so damn easy. Playing
was like breathing to him, which is why the two of them had connected so well
in the first place—they each saw their instruments as an extension of
themselves.