Storm Front (The Charistown Series) (Volume 2) (8 page)

Leo started tapping lightly on his middle tom, leveling his
eyes to Ryan and waiting for his friend to talk. The rasping sound of the drum
was hypnotic—designed to coax an answer out of him. But Ryan was wise to his
friend’s tactics and remained stoic, lightly tapping his foot in time with the
beat. Leo added the deep melodic sound of the bass drum into the mix.

“So, we’re gonna play it this way? Cool. I can hammer out
the new song while you play the silent, broody guy.” Leo laughed and began to
go full throttle into his groove giving his arms a full-fledged workout, all
the while, keeping his eyes locked firmly on Ryan.

Ryan shook his head. He knew stubbornness wasn’t a trait
only found in the female Kynde sibling. Leo could wait forever, if that’s what
it took.

“Grrr, fine, I’ll talk. Just stop with the stare. It’s
fucking creepy, man. Jesus, you and your sister are stubborn as hell when you
want something.”

“That’s true brother but remember what I’ve told you,
stubborn works both ways. We use it to
get
what we want and we use it to
give
what we want. Giving up is never an option for Ash and me. Now
spill.”

His arms crossed firmly over his chest, Ryan took a breath
in through his nose and slowly released it from his mouth. “So, Ash is coming
out this weekend.”

“Oh, man, that’s great. I miss her like crazy. Daily calls
just aren’t enough.” Angling his head in a question-like pose, Leo then asked,
“Wait, how’d you get her to agree to that? She has to work two days this
weekend.”

Ryan loved how happy his friend was. Leo’s eyes were round
with excitement and his smile was wide, showing off the perfect dentistry his
parents must have spent a fortune on. “I hate that she’s stuck at home alone. Our
parents suck. They’re always working and they never notice when she’s feeling
down because…well, they’re never fucking there!”

Even though Ryan sometimes wished he lived in the Kynde
house, he’d never wished to be part of the Kynde family household. He loved his
father, and the relationship they had, beyond words. Before his mother died
they were the perfect family. Since her passing, his father had done everything
a father could do in order to be there for his son. Martin Baker was a great
dad.

“So, if Ashley is coming here in less than 72 hours, why do
you look like you’re ready to rip someone’s face off?”

“Two words, man. Scott James.”

Ryan watched as Leo processed the name in his mind. The
moment Leo’s eyes lit up in acknowledgement he continued. “Look, we’ve
discussed Scott several times. You told me not to worry about the punk…”

“Yeah, Ry, I told you that it was Jayson’s brother and there
was no way you should let your mind go there. We’re a team, man. Jayson
wouldn’t let his brother go anywhere near Ashley. But none of that matters
because Ashley wouldn’t touch him with someone else’s hands. She loves you. I
feel like I’m growing a pussy even having this conversation, but she fucking
loves you. Put Scott out of your brain.”

“Dude, every time I talk to her she’s either with him, or
going to meet with him, or just come from seeing him. It freaks me the fuck
out. It makes me feel…I just don’t like it. That’s all.”

Leo stood up from his drums and stepped over to the guitar
case sitting in the corner. “Here,” he said handing Ryan the royal blue
electric Fender. “You wanna be jealous, play your freak-out on this.”

At that moment, Jayson and Zane walked up onto the stage.
They were laughing about who knows what when they saw Ryan and Leo set to
practice. “Cool,” Jayson smiled, “let’s warm up. What do you wanna start with?”

Ryan could feel the fire begging to be released from his
body. “
Raging Inferno
,” he snarled.

The tapping count of Leo’s drum sticks sucked all of the
anger from Ryan’s body, fueling him with passion and lust for the music. Such
was his passion that it continued on into their set that night, rolling off the
stage like fog lifting from a lake in the early morning hours.

That night,
Storm Front
’s performance was incredible.

Good, Then I’m Doing It Right

“HEY, ROMEO. GOD, you’re a sight for
sore eyes.” Ashley had no more than a second to take in Ryan’s appearance
before he was too close for her to see more than the golden hues of his irises.

Wrapped in his long corded arms, the world spun as he
twirled her around and around until dizziness threatened to make her ill. When
their lips finally met, it felt like comfort and warmth, fireworks and
electricity all strung together. Like New Year’s Eve on a tropical island.
Breathless, Ashley inhaled deeply, taking in Ryan’s rich spicy scent. The air
in her chest burned, but by God was it good to
feel
again.

“Mmm, I’ve missed the smell of your skin.” The skin beneath
her fingertips tightened and she could feel the goose bumps on Ryan’s skin.
Raking her nails over his scalp, she felt him harden in his cargo pants.

“Your hair is longer than it was before. I love it like
this,” she purred, tightening her hold on his hair before moving back in for
another deep kiss.

“Princess,” he murmured breathlessly into her mouth. She
reveled in the fact that his body responded to her every touch, taste, and
scent. The need in his voice was palpable as he said, “I want you so bad right
now, but we’re gonna get arrested for public indecency if we keep this up in
the airport.”

The second he pulled away from her she felt the loss. She
missed the closeness of his body against hers. She felt warmth settle into her
cheeks along with embarrassment over her very public display of affection.
Pulling her close, he leaned his lips down to her ear and whispered, “I plan on
getting indecent I just don’t want to share you with anyone. So let’s get your
luggage—and your sweet ass—out of here.”

Her body responded instantly to the provocative words
uttered in her ear. “Oh Romeo,” she murmured. “It’s no wonder the women fall
all over you with that silver tongue of yours.” Shivering with anticipation,
Ashley laced her fingers through Ryan’s and they headed toward the baggage
claim.

“The only woman I want falling all over me is you, Ashley.”
He paused before asking, “So are you? Falling?”

Pulling them to a stop, Ashley looked up at Ryan from
beneath her long lashes and confidently said, “Ryan, I fell at fifteen and
never got back up.”

The warmth of her words washed over him and he cupped her
face in his hands, kissing her deeply once again. While their breaths mingled
and their tongues caressed, Ryan had to remind himself again of his promise
that they would wait until December to finally make love. He wanted to wait
until he could be with her for longer than just a few hasty days. He would wait
until she was eighteen and he could ask her for forever. Just two more months,
he thought as he deepened the kiss between them. In the meantime, he planned to
enjoy every minute of the time they had together while she was here with him.

“Sis, get over here!” The excitement in Leo’s voice had
Ashley shaking with delight. Seeing her brother after more than a month was
almost as painful as it was wonderful. Almost. His eyes were bright with
eagerness as he took long strides to get to her. His hair, like Ryan’s, was
longer and streaked with lighter shades of blond—something that always happened
to him in the summer. It wasn’t unheard of for people to accuse Leo of coloring
his hair, but it was really just God paying him a little extra attention in the
looks department.

Ashley admired her brother’s sun-kissed skin and felt a pang
of envy. Between her classes and her work schedule she’d had very little time
to enjoy the Florida weather.

“Leo, another tattoo? Really?” There was no anger behind
Ashley’s question this time. Rather a profession of happiness that her brother
was living the life he’d always dreamed of. Examining the new ink she felt a
little jab of something deep down in her gut. She couldn’t identify it, so she
pushed it down a little further and pretended that it didn’t exist at all.
“What is it Le?”

“Look closely, sis. It’s everything that’s made me who I am
so far.” Tears stung Ashley’s eyes as the image marked on Leo’s forearm became
incredibly clear. In between beautiful black flowing ink were the initials LKA,
for Leo and Ashley Kynde. The two legs of the “K” were drumsticks and the spine
of the “L” was part of a crotchet/quarter note. The “A” was made up of black
vines with one small blue flower on the bottom right leg. Twisting around and
through the tattoo were random words and symbols that Leo had mentally
collected through his life—his treasure chest of thoughts. The piece was large
but tasteful and masculine. So very Leo.

“Leo, I love it. It’s so you and I love the ceratostigma on
the “A”. Thank you!”

Ashley was surprised that someone had been able to capture
the heart of her brother so perfectly through ink and skin. Without turning her
gaze from his arm she addressed Ryan. “And what about you, Ry? Any new artwork
on that sweet canvas?”

Having not heard his movement, Ashley startled when Ryan’s
voice came from so close to her body. “Babe, I told you I would come to you
before making any more big decisions. Remember?” Ashley smiled at her brother,
her back still facing Ryan. Leo winked and came up with a quick excuse to grab
some drinks from the soda machine down the hall.

Slowly turning to face the sexy, dark haired, molten-eyed
man who’d captured her heart, Ashley tipped her head back to look Ryan in the
eyes. Even though Ashley stood at five foot eight, Ryan was still a good five
or so inches taller and he made her feel tiny and protected.

“Ryan, honey, I appreciate your intentions of keeping me in
the know about important life decisions, but as long as you aren’t tattooing
your face or another woman’s name on your body, I’ve decided I’m okay with you
inking without my knowledge.”

Running one slender finger up his biceps and over his
shoulder she felt the shudder that rocked his body. Her finger continued its
trail up his neck and to its final destination. His lips. She stroked his plump
bottom lip while staring directly into his eyes. Time and place faded away as
she heard his breathing quicken with each touch.

Ashley stared into hungry eyes as her body responded to his
touch. She couldn’t help but to moisten her bottom lip when his heated gaze
dropped to her mouth. His chest expanded and his nostrils flared as she watched
arousal building like a storm in his eyes. The slight sting of her lip between
her teeth brought a surge of pleasure between Ashley’s thighs. Reaching
forward, Ryan placed his hand in her hair and tugged her toward him. The
masculine groan that escaped him was almost her undoing.

“Ash, I need to get you alone, soon.” He let out a low
growl. “Fuck it. I need you now! I booked us a room for the next three nights.
Ready to go?” His hands ran down her back and over her firm ass while he waited
for her answer.

Snapping out of the lust-induced fog, Ashley ran her knuckle
down Ryan’s jaw. “You know I am Ry, but let me tell Leo that we’re heading out.
I’d like to make plans to see him for a late dinner after the show. I miss him
and I want to spend time with him while I’m here.”

Ashley spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. She
missed Ryan something crazy and couldn’t wait to spend time snuggled in his
arms, but she’d missed Leo too. She waited for Ryan’s response, hoping she
hadn’t upset him or worse, made him feel guilty.

“Princess, we don’t need to rush.” Ryan lifted her chin. A
chagrinned look covered his beautiful face. “We can spend some time with Leo
and the other guys before we head out. I’m sorry. I just saw you and lost my
mind.”

“Ryan, I love that about you. Do you have any idea how that
makes me feel?”

“No, baby, tell me.” Ryan’s low seductive voice had Ashley
swooning like a fan-girl.

“It makes me feel wanted, horny and loved.”

“Good, then I’m doing it right!” He winked, and they went in
search of Leo, Jayson and Zane.

“Wow, I thought you two would have been locked away getting
down and dirty by now,” Zane chuckled. Ryan scowled and Leo threw an empty
water bottle at the bassist’s head.

“What?” Zane said, genuinely confused. “I’m just sayin’ they
haven’t seen each other in weeks. If it was me, I would be tappin’ that ass
like crazy!”

When Ryan growled and Leo stood up with clenched fists, Zane
realized his mistake. “Dude, I’m so sorry. I look at her and I forget she’s
your kid sister.” Zane held his hands up in a submissive show of respect.

“Fuck you, Zane. Yes, Ashley is his sister, but she’s my
fucking girl! You don’t get to treat her or talk about her like she’s a cheap
piece of ass. Now apologize. Right. Fucking. Now!” Ryan seethed, his temper
reaching boiling point.

Zane’s face paled but before he could open his mouth, Jayson
piped-up, “Ash, you know we all love you. Zane can be an idiot. Sometimes we
still
think
of you as part of the band, or the little sister with
braces. But when we
see
you, you’re this beautiful grown chick, not
Leo’s kid sister and certainly not
one
of Ryan’s girls…”

The small gasp come from Ashley’s mouth had Ryan launching
himself at Jayson, backing him against the wall. “What the hell is that
supposed to mean?
One of Ryan’s girls?
You all fucking know that I
haven’t so much as looked at another woman since before we did the first set of
shows in early June.”

Ryan felt the anger and frustration pulsing through his
veins like mercury through a thermometer. His mind kept screaming for him to
back off but just like the silver liquid when the thermometer breaks, he
couldn’t quite get a grip on the out of control emotion. “Are you trying to
start something, man? Between you and your fucking brother—”

“Ryan!” Ashley’s voice broke through his haze, dousing the
fire that raged inside of him. “Honey, back down. They’re acting like buffoons.
They know it, I know it, and if you think about it, you know it too.”