Whisky Melody: Rock Star Romance, New Adult College Romance (Tennessee Romance Book 2) (6 page)

But he purposely delayed her ultimate pleasure, keeping her hovering on the edge for several long but sweetly agonizing moments. Her cries grew louder and more desperate. Logan moved upward again. She watched through half-lidded eyes, greedy for more as his magnificent body came into view. Taking in his broad shoulders and rippling, carved abs, his lean waist, and a light, feathered trail of hair that led to a thicker patch that surrounded his stiff, engorged dick.

He rolled a condom along that length, then positioned himself above her before driving deep into her depths. She shivered and cried out. He was long and wide, and he filled her so completely that she could do nothing more than claw at his back and hold on as he bucked and thrust above her, each pump of his hips sending him deeper into her heated, oiled depths.

Her walls clenched and opened around him, but he muffled her cries with his mouth. The kisses grew hotter with every long, slow drive and withdrawal. The pleasure careened through her, and she whimpered, her heels digging deeply into the floor as she lifted toward him, giving him a better angle of penetration as she strove toward her orgasm.

The buildup was nothing compared to the climax when she came. Her body clenched around him, ripples of pleasure exploding like tiny sparks of desire over and over again. She shuddered and cried out, not wanting the feeling to ever end.

Logan’s body went rigid as she locked him inside of her erotic agony. He groaned, his breath washing over her shoulder, and a tiny tremor passed through his body, growing longer and more intense with each second. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Holy fucking fuck!”

He drove into her yet again, then shuddered all over, his body thrusting so deeply into hers that she felt him at the very back of her passageway, pressed against the end of the snug tunnel. They hung there together, suspended in the throes of passion, unable to stop themselves until the waves slowly subsided.

He rolled off her, then away. He took off the condom and went to the bathroom for a moment, then returned and picked her up from the floor. He carried her onto the narrow bed and climbed in with her. As the two of them lay there, his heart thundered under her ear, and she smiled as she traced his nipples yet again.

All too soon their peaceful afterglow was shattered by Kaylee, who came staggering into the dorm with a high-pitched giggle, crashing into the furniture in the living room as she stumbled around. A hand pounded on Ashley’s closed bedroom door as she moved by.

Ashley groaned. “Sorry. I’d better go see what’s up with her.”

“It’s okay,” Logan said, unable to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

She got out of bed and slid into her jeans and sweater, then walked out to find Kaylee standing in the middle of her room, swaying back and forth.

“Hey, Ashhh…” she slurred. Her eyes were wide and glazed over, and her hair looked like roadkill, an absolute rat’s nest.

Ashley stared at her cousin, her anger spilling over. She’d gotten out of bed with Logan for this? “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What? Girls just wanna have fun, right?” With that, Kaylee collapsed onto the bed and began giggling like a lunatic, then put her hands up and peeked through her fingers. “Check it out.”

“What?” Impatient and angry, all Ashley could do was put her hands on her hips and glare at her cousin.

“All the pretty…” Kaylee giggled again, more childlike this time, like a little girl being tickled.

Crap. She’s totally stoned…or something.
Ashley shook her head and was just about to say something when Logan cut her off.

He stood leaning against the doorframe in only his jeans. He looked down at Kaylee in disgust. “She’s high.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Ashley muttered and then tried to cover her annoyance. It wasn’t Logan’s fault. “I just don’t know what to do about it,” she said, staring at her cousin, who was now rolling around on her bed, laughing maniacally and talking about something that wasn’t there.

Logan’s hand grazed her waist. “You can’t do anything about it right now, Ash, except maybe keep her from accidentally hurting herself.”

“Great. So now I’m a babysitter?” Ashley said, shocked by her own attitude. She really did love Kaylee, and she knew she shouldn’t resent her, but she couldn’t help it at that moment. Kaylee had tried her patience for far too long, and now she was at the edge of it, cousin or not.

“I can stay if you want.”

As Logan’s sweet words hit her ear, she smiled but shook her head. “No, just go. I’ll just wait till she passes out or something, then go to bed.”

He didn’t say anything so Ashley turned to look at him. His beautiful dark eyes stared intently at her. He pressed his lips gently against hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow, babe. If you need anything—”

“Yeah, tomorrow,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t quite picture tonight ending like this.”

He chuckled. “Neither did I, babe. But I won’t complain. It was pretty… pleasurable.”

She smiled at him and kissed him one more time. “Get. Before I change my mind and follow you home. I need to take care of this dummy tonight.”

“Don’t forget practice.” He winked as he reminded her.

After Logan left she stared at Kaylee, who was still laughing wildly and kicking her feet in the air. Ashley shook her head and took a seat in the chair beside the bed. Kaylee was screwed up, and this had nothing to do with Charlie. He couldn’t be caught hanging out with someone so obviously using, and neither could she. She hated to think about it, but she knew she might have to go to the student advisor and see about transferring into a new room
. Kids drop out sometimes. Surely there’s an opening somewhere.
Moving was the last thing she needed, and she knew it might not be good for Kaylee to be abandoned, but she felt she had no choice. Whatever had happened to Kaylee since they’d enrolled was getting worse, and there was no way she could afford to get caught up in it.

“Kaylee…” Ashley said, trying to catch her attention. If she could just get her cousin to calm down. Maybe tomorrow they could talk.

“It’s so blue! No…green! No…red. Just look at that, Ash,” Kaylee said, staring at the ceiling and squealing out another round of crazed laughter.

Ashley took a deep breath, sat in the chair, and said nothing more.
I’ll just have to lay it all out to her tomorrow morning. If she’s willing to stop, I’ll give her one last chance. But if she doesn’t stop, I’ve gotta go,
she thought, then settled back in the chair and waited for Kaylee to black out.

Logan couldn’t help but be disappointed that his night with Ashley had been cut short by Kaylee’s drugged-out bullshit. It wasn’t Ashley’s responsibility to babysit the girl. However, he wasn’t going to argue with her just so he could have sex with her again. He wasn’t an idiot.

When Charlie waylaid him, he was in no mood for it. He was halfway back to his place, wishing he’d ridden his bike.

“Hey, man, can we talk?” Charlie asked, loping up beside him.

“About what?” Had the guy been waiting for him outside Ashley’s place? Logan didn’t doubt it.

Charlie sighed. “I just need to talk to you. I wanna clear the air.”

“About what?” Logan repeated.

“About…. Dad.”

Logan froze. “What about him?”

“Look, you know I’m not a dealer, and I’m no junkie either. That was a bad rap, and I shouldn’t have taken it. If I hadn’t, he woulda been out of your mom’s life a long time ago, and that would have tickled you pink.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“I didn’t have a choice. I was a kid. A scared one.”

Logan quit walking. “What?”

Charlie shifted to his other foot. “Look, you and your mom are really the only family I know. My real mom’s useless. I figured if Dad went to jail, you two would toss me out, and I’d end up in foster care or somethin’. If Dad went in, your mom would’ve waited for him. He’d end up even more screwed up than before. I really thought I did the best thing at the time…for everybody.”

“Maybe she would have waited,” Logan said, not sure if he wanted to have this conversation right now, but somehow he couldn’t stop himself. The bitterness of having a screwed-up family ate at him. He had it, but Charlie could’ve had it worse. “You shouldn’t have covered for him. We could’ve had a few years without that bastard in our lives. Mom never would have thrown you out. You had to know that.”

Charlie’s eyes glowed. “No, I didn’t. Dad had already put it in her head that I would take the rap. I mean, he wanted
you
to do it, and she never would’ve allowed that. You’re the golden boy, right? I’ve always been…the throwaway, the useless one, the damn prodigal son or whatever the heck they call it. I’ve never been any good to them, and honestly, your mom has never given a damn about me. She just puts up with me for him. If I refused to take the rap, she would’ve blamed me for the love of her life being locked up. I didn’t have a choice, Logan. I know you hate me for it, and I can’t rewrite history, but I wish you could see it my way—for just a minute anyway.”

Logan stared at his stepbrother. They’d never talked about what had happened. He had never considered Charlie might not have wanted to go to jail. He’d just assumed Charlie had done it with his father. Never once considered the guy might be innocent. Logan had been too angry because Charlie had covered for that ass-hat, some kind of father-son bond he didn’t understand. He’d been wrong. And he’d blamed Charlie the whole time? He stared at his stepbrother. “Guess I never figured. I didn’t realize your dad fucked you over. I figured it was just me he hated.”

Charlie crossed his arms. “Damn, Logan, what do you think? You’re the good son, the one everyone knows is going places. I’ve always been …just Floyd’s screwed-up demon child. I mean, everyone knows he’s trash, so his spawn must be, too, right? You and your mom just somehow got sucked into his gravitational field. No one likes him, but at least you’re not connected to him. As far as most people see it, I’m just a reincarnation of the jerk, especially now, after I took that rap. I don’t get a second chance. This is my life. The rest of my life. There’s no escaping.”

Logan inhaled a long breath and slowly let it out, feeling like a bit of a fool for never seeing things from Charlie’s side. “Okay, man. I get it…and I’m sorry, but why are you telling me all this now?”

Charlie scratched his chin. “For lots of reasons, I guess. See, that crap I did with Ashley was… Well, I guess I figured she’d be something I had that you didn’t. It’s always been that way between us. We’ve never really gotten along, and we’re always competing against each other. I just wanted to one-up you. I guess it’s that sibling rivalry thing the shrinks always blab about. I’ve always been way down here,” he said, gesturing with his hands, “and you’re way up there. I always figured if I had even half of what you have, I’d be okay, but it sure hasn’t worked out that way. Even when I settle for second best, it ends up fucked up.”

“Charlie, it’s not a competition. You don’t have to have what I have to be a good person.”

“No, I just have to not be my dad.” His shoulders drew inward. “Don’t bullshit yourself, Logan. I blew it, and I know that, but I’m afraid you’re about to do the same thing.”

Logan took a step back. “What? What the hell are you talking about, Charlie?”

“Royale, man.”

“Huh? What about it?”

“You’re getting sloppy. I told you in front of the band so you’d listen, but I’m telling you again now. I hope you friggin’ listen to me. You’ve gotta get your crap together. You need to play some originals, or you’re gonna blow it. If you aren’t careful, Whisky Lullaby is gonna end up doing tribute band crap at some free local arts festival for a bunch of old ladies in lawn chairs.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You know I’m right. You’re just letting yourself lose focus.” He nodded behind him. “Chicks’ll do that.” He held his hands up when Logan glared at him. “I’m not saying Ashley’s fucking things up. I’m just saying we sometimes use the wrong head around them.” He grinned. “You know what I mean?”

“Duly noted,” Logan said, tapping a foot impatiently. “Anyway, are we good for now?”

Charlie shrugged. “Right as rain, but there’s one more thing.”

“What?” Logan said, though he wasn’t sure he was ready to hear it.

“If you ever break up with Ashley, it’ll ruin the band. You need to keep that in mind.”

“That’s a non-issue,” Logan said, nodding. It was something he thought about a lot, even though he didn’t want to. One moment Charlie was saying girls were trouble, the next he was saying that Logan couldn’t do without his.

“Why? Because she’s not going anywhere? Get your head out of your ass, man. She’s a cello player who likes what you play. She’s a freshman, majoring in music education and theory. As soon as she turns that damn tassel, she’s outta here, off to Paris or some other classical music scene. She’s not gonna be your fan-girl forever. You know it, and I know it. Do you think she’s gonna pack you up with her damn cello and take you with her to all those fancy concert halls? Just how many tuxedos do you own, man? You’re her college fling. She’s gonna wake up and realize that and leave you broken and shattered.”

Without another word, Logan moved his fist up and connected it solidly with Charlie’s jaw.

Charlie’s head jerked to the right but he didn’t fall. He glared at Logan, his eyes serious. “I’m trying to help you, Logan. You need to figure this shit out. You know as well as I do that girl’s not gonna be happy playing in your band forever. She’s just not built for it. She’s supposed to be in some kind of orchestra or something. You just refuse to see it, just like you refused to see that I wouldn’t be happy being your backing guy forever.”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Charlie,” Logan spat, resisting the urge to sock him in the face again.

“You’re the star, Logan. You’ve always been front and center, and you think everyone behind you is happy to be there, but they just aren’t. You’re never gonna take a step back for anyone, not even her. She’s cool up there, and she likes it now, but what happens when the thrill wears off and she figures out that all you want is to be a star? What happens when she graduates and packs up her cello and moves on? What happens to your band then?”

Logan’s anger faded, much to his surprise. Charlie was an ass, but he was right… as much as Logan hated to admit it. Ashley loved that old cello of hers more than anything in the world. Whisky Lullaby was little more than a diversion, a lark for her, even if she was having fun doing it. It wasn’t her biggest ambition, and she didn’t share that big dream with Logan. It was his ticket out of here. For her, it was just something fun. She’d basically said the same thing. Her scholarship meant more.

Logan didn’t just
want
to be a star; he
had
to be one. All of his childhood dreams were tied up in music and in being the front man, a famous rocker. He needed it, as much as other people needed air. He wanted to be the biggest star of all time. That wasn’t the only thing Charlie was right about, though.

Logan could never be content as second fiddle to anyone, not even Ashley. Somehow they’d become something of a duet, but sharing the front wasn’t something he was used to. He didn’t want to share the spotlight or center stage with anyone, not even the girl he loved. He wasn’t sure how long that would that sit well with him. If he was going to reach for the stars the way he wanted to, it might require letting go of Ashley somewhere along the way, and that thought broke his heart.

He rubbed his temples with one hand. “Sorry about hitting you. I just—”

“No worries. I deserved it for past mistakes. I probably would’ve knocked your teeth out if things were reversed.” Charlie stared hard at him a long moment. “Look, I’m mostly an idiot, but I’m just trying to look out for you. I believe you’ve got what it takes to make it big. I want to see that happen.”

Logan watched his stepbrother, a million regrets, apologies, would’ves and could’ves running through his head. “I should’ve looked after you more when we were kids.”

Charlie shrugged. “Hey, you can’t always be your stepbrother’s keeper, right?”

“True,” Logan said, offering him a half-grin. The momentary reconciliation seemed to have drawn to a close. “Look, I’m beat. You heading back?”

“Nah. I’m gonna go to this pub I found. Like I said, I’ve been checking out the other bands in the battle.”

“Spying? Nice.”

Charlie turned to go, but Logan halted him.

“Hey, I don’t know if you care or whatever, but Kaylee’s in her room, punched to the gills.”

Charlie’s shoulders sagged. “I figured. If she’d have been around when we were kids, Dad would’ve said she’s ‘hooked through the bag.’ Hell, she would’ve been one of his best customers. I have no clue who started her on that crap, but I can’t stick around to watch it take her down. She’s mad at me for blowing her off, but I can’t be with someone who’s on any kind of crap like that. Believe it or not, I really do wanna graduate and land a decent job.”

“Me, too…if the band thing doesn’t work out.”

Charlie gave him a lopsided smile. “It going to… for you, at least.”

As Charlie walked off, Logan continued on his way, running their conversation through his head again and again.
The better things seem to be going, the more they freaking fall apart
. He fumed silently, still stunned by what Charlie had told him.
That poor kid didn’t get any of the love he deserved
. Not only that, but now he had to figure out how to mend the broken fences between them, how to fix the rift.
How can I do that when the biggest part of that rift is Ashley?
He was still angry at Charlie for the shit he’d done to Ashley.

Rift… the word would be a great title for a song. So would the shit that happened in his life. He just needed to make it a happy ending somehow.

Shaking his head he walked on, prepared to toss and turn with heavy thoughts and challenging melodies haunting him through the night.