Storm Front (The Charistown Series) (Volume 2) (20 page)

“Nice,” Danny snickered. “A Hulk reference. We love our
super heroes around here. I can’t wait to tell the guys you compared me to the
Hulk.” He continued to laugh until he saw the unamused look on Ryan’s face, and
then quickly voided his face of the amusement before proceeding with his
lecture.

“Listen up, kid. My wife and I, we only hire special
people—the people with kind hearts and strong souls.” Danny shrugged. “It’s
like a gift we have. We think of our staff like family and Ashley…well, that
girl is family. For as long as she’s been here she’s worked hard, played hard
and done everything in her power to make everyone around here happy. But, she
keeps her past tucked deep in the back of her closet with the mothballs. We all
know it, we all respect it and we all protect it.

I allow her to drink even though she’s underage because she
is the most responsible person I know and while the irresponsibility of that
decision doesn’t escape me,” the man blushed—he actually blushed, “she has me
wrapped around her finger. She hasn’t gotten in trouble yet and her birthday is
next month so, I’m keepin’ my fingers crossed.”

Ryan sat quietly, processing the truckload of words this man
was dumping out while Danny continued. “It was more than obvious from the
moment I saw you two together that there is a shit-ton of history there, and
after spending the past five hours with you both, I can see that it’s a book
that hasn’t been closed.” With his hands splayed on his knees Danny shifted,
coming within inches of Ryan. He lowered his voice, making the gravelly sound
more evident. “So my question is: What do you want with my little girl?”

Ryan’s head was spinning. How had this man gone from boss,
to friend, to scary green guy, to father—all in one evening? How had Ashley
ended up tending bar here in a suburb of Philadelphia when she was supposed to
be attending U of Penn? These questions rolled around his brain but only one
answer left his mouth.

“I love her. I’ve loved her for years Danny, but I screwed
up and I lost her. I’m not gonna sit here and give you a bullshit list of
reasons why it wasn’t my fault and why she misunderstood. I deserved to lose
her.” Ryan scrubbed his hands over his face.

It felt good saying this out loud to someone who cared about
Ashley—someone who would hold him responsible for his actions. Sure, he had
spent the past two and a half years in therapy, spilling his guts to virtual
strangers, but they were paid to listen to him. They were there to take his
side and make him feel better. The man sitting in front of him apparently loved
Ashley. Danny didn’t owe him anything and that’s what made this confession so
important to him.

“I loved her, but not in the way she deserved. I took and
took but I never gave back all of the trust and love that she gave me, and one
day I pushed too hard—”

Danny’s eyes went wide and the muscle in his jaw twitched as
he spoke through his teeth. “Did you lay a hand on that girl?” Ryan could see
Danny’s white knuckles gripping the armrests of the chair.

“Fuck no! Are you kidding?” Ryan was appalled. He would
never
ever
lift a finger in anger to a woman—especially not that woman.
She could have clubbed him to death with a bat before he would so much as pinch
her in the heat of an argument.

“Danny, I said some pretty horrible things to her. I lost my
temper and I didn’t trust her. And guess what, man, all of those things I
did…they were all just as bad as any physical blow I could have dealt. I broke
her trust and I broke her heart. I’m gonna be honest, man, there hasn’t been
one day in the last three years that I haven’t gotten up and gotten out of bed
with my only goal being to become a better man. A man worthy of
that
woman drinking at your bar.

Did I do it just for her? No. I did it so I could look
myself in the mirror each night before I went to bed. I did it so my mother
could rest in peace knowing her son was no longer a fuck-up. But, Danny, hear
me when I say, I’m still in love with her—always will be—and I will do whatever
it takes to earn back her trust, and her love.”

He wasn’t sure at what point he had stood up and started
pacing around the small office but as new determination ebbed through his body
he turned and met the gaze of the man in front of him. Danny sat comfortably,
his ankle crossed over his knee and a wide cat-that-ate-the-canary sort of grin
tugged at his face. Ryan had no idea what was going through the older guy’s
mind and quickly let out a lung-full of air before sitting back down in his
seat.

Danny dropped his foot to the floor, laced his fingers
together and again leaned slowly into Ryan. “Welcome to Charistown, son,” he
said simply, unlacing his hands and clapping Ryan on the shoulder. “I think you
are exactly what Little Miss Spicy needs. So, good luck. But know this—she’s
family, and you’re a guest. You fuck up, we choose her. You got it?”

Ryan nodded his understanding before both men stood up and
headed back into the very crowded main bar.

Lucky Charms

“I HEAR YOU have a house on South
Pine Street. Come on, I’ll take you home.” His voice felt like warm honey
dripping down her skin—sweet, thick and desirable. Had she just compared his
voice to honey?
Fuck, I must be drunk.

“You don’t seem drunk to me, Princess. You really have
learned to hold your alcohol.” His smile coupled with the touch of his hand on
her lower back made her panties wet.

“Don’t call me Princess. Seriously, Ryan, I can take a cab
home. I don’t live far from here.”

“Ash, I promised your boss I would get you home safely and I
intend to keep that promise.”

Lost in her guilt-ridden thoughts, Ashley made no return
remark. She had a promise to keep too. She had promised herself she would leave
her past behind. The pain. The heartache. The guilt. But the fact that Ryan
Baker was now standing beside her, guiding her gently to the side of his car,
smelling all woodsy and masculine with a tinge of beer and mint, she knew she was
in trouble. The fact that she wanted to rub up against him like a cat in heat
as she took in his scent posed a definite threat to the promise that she had so
earnestly kept over the past three years. As his hand hovered over the small of
her back while he ushered her into the passenger seat of his 1998 Ford Mustang,
she found herself incapable of refusing his offer. It was laughable. The car
ride would only be two minutes at the most. Yet, she complied with his request
and took her seat.

Allowing herself one more whiff before he closed her in, her
heart thundered in her chest as she watched him cross the front of his car. It
was suddenly painfully evident that she was very close to breaking that
promise. It was undeniable. She still craved him after all these years. Exactly
two minutes later, she found herself lightheaded as she finally let out a
breath. Her refusal to be assaulted by Ryan’s scent resulted in only two short
breaths being taken during their ride to her apartment.

While unbuckling her seat belt, she spoke for the first time
since the parking lot. “Okay, Ryan, you got me home, safe and sound.” She
exited the car and quickly walked to her front door knowing full well he was
following close behind. “It was great seeing you today and catching up. Be sure
to stay in touch…but not too in touch.” She snarled her dismissal and turned to
unlock her door.

“Ashley.”

Her name was a breathy whisper as his hand glided up to her
shoulder. The backs of his fingers scorched a trail where skin met skin. A soft
moan escaped her lips and thousands of tiny goose bumps spread across her
flesh. Her familiar response to his touch sent currents of electricity through
her blood.

“Ash, let me come in. Nothing has to happen. I just want to
spend more time with you.”

Inhaling sharply, Ashley stepped away, disconnecting from
his touch and shaking her head to clear the lust that threatened to cloud her
good judgment. “Romeo, do you honestly think I don’t remember your allure?
Please, I know exactly what will happen if I let you in my house. Do you know
how I know?” She watched his face, his eyes burned with lust, yet he still
shook his head in denial. “I know because I look at you, I see you, and even
after all this time, even after everything that happened, I still want you. I
still burn for you. I remember what it was like to have your hands on my body
and I want more. I want it all.”

“I want you to inhale me, consume me, and devour me. I want
to come apart knowing that you’ll be the one who puts me back together. And
when you do, I want to watch you drown in the desire you once had for me. So
you see,” her eyes ran the length of his body as she tried to keep her thoughts
from scattering, “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to step through my
door, because there is no way the reality can hold a candle to the fairytale my
memories have created.”

Ryan moved closer to her. That one step brought him close
enough that his scent once again surrounded Ashley. His warmth embraced her,
desire assaulted her. She knew then and there that her self-promise was about
to be a thing of the past.

“Princess,” his voice raspy as the words finally freed
themselves from their prison, he growled, “There is nothing wrong with your
memory. Now, invite me into your fucking house.”

Before she could protest again, Ryan closed the distance
between them, cradling her jaw in his large hands and pulling her closer. He
wasn’t gentle when he took her mouth for the first time. Her lips were so lush,
so warm, so… Ashley. He stroked his tongue across her full bottom lip pulling
in the small silver hoop that adorned it. He loved the way it felt against his
tongue and his teeth. He threaded his fingertips through her hair and pulled
her even closer. His head tilted to the side in an effort to deepen their kiss
even more, and she gripped his shirt in return as she stepped further back into
her house and yanked his body even closer to her own. The front door was kicked
shut with a thud.

They stood in the foyer making out like teenagers. Their
bodies pressed tight against one another, their hands set in motion. Her moans
sent tingles through his body—further amplifying the desire that had been
simmering since the moment he’d first seen her behind the bar. Hell, the desire
he had been harboring for years.

Ryan’s heart was beating so quickly he was certain she could
feel it pumping through his clothes. The deeper their kisses, the faster his
heart thrummed. The quiet groans in the back of his throat got louder as she
untucked his long sleeved Henley from his jeans and whipped it over his head.
God,
is this really happening?
He moved to touch her sweet, smooth skin when she
pulled away from his touch.

“Holy shit, Ry.” With eyes round like saucers, she stared
unapologetically at his naked chest. “Umm, so, obviously, I see what you’ve
been doing over the past couple of years.” She purred as she ran her small
hands over his chest. Ryan had always had a great body but now he was heavily
muscled. He wasn’t meaty or overly thick, but he had spent the past thirty-six
months improving each part of himself: his psyche, his emotions, and his body. “I’m
flattered that you find my body so appealing, Ash,” he grinned smugly, “but can
you show your appreciation a little closer?”

“Still, cocky, I see,” she smiled, rolling her eyes before easing
back into his embrace and mapping his torso with her hands and her lips.

“Mmm, Ashley, you have no idea how amazing it feels to have
you near me like this again, I…” He stopped speaking midsentence as she looped
her tongue through the piercing on his left nipple.

“I love these, Ryan,” she whispered, lightly nipping on the
steel ring. “Hmm, I see you got some more ink as well.”

He wanted to respond to her observations, but once again,
his words escaped him while his mind was processing boundless pleasure. His
cock was fully erect and demanding release from the constraints of suddenly too
tight jeans, and his fingers were itching to touch the creamy soft skin that he
knew was waiting under her clothes. Here she was, in front of him, touching him
and he could barely put words together as his thoughts scattered through his
mind.

“Let’s take this upstairs. Follow me,” she said with a
crooked finger and a wicked smile. He followed as she led him to the staircase.
Lust overtook logic as he watched the sway of her hips and admired the lush
curve of her ass with each step she took from the first floor of the small
house to the second.

Once inside her bedroom, he finally gathered his wits and
pressed his body up against hers. Melted together, his front to her back, he
pressed his lips to the nape of her neck.

“Mmm, you still smell so goddamn good,” he murmured as he
slid his tongue along the curve where her neck met her shoulder. That had
always been a hotspot for her. He grinned to himself when her body responded to
the soft breath he blew over the moistened area. Her barely contained whimper
had his cock begging for a release that his mind wasn’t ready for. He wanted to
savor every single moment of this night. He wrapped his arms around her,
cupping her firm, full breasts over her tank top. Rolling her hardened nipples
between his thumbs and middle fingers, he continued to nip the flesh at her
neck and shoulders. “You taste like fucking dessert, too. I can’t wait to taste
all of you, Princess.”

His erotic words were turning her on and setting her off all
at once. “What are you waiting for?” She replied huskily and quickly turned
around to face him. Her next words caught in her throat as she was struck by
the intensity of the beautiful man staring back at her. He was so fucking
gorgeous. Why had she ever let him go?

You didn’t. He threw you away.

The memory flashed through her mind sending a jolt of pain
through her body. “Baby, you okay?” Ryan asked looking at her as if he knew the
tremor that moved through her body had nothing to do with pleasure.

“I’m fine,” she whispered putting herself back together as
she always had before. “Just come closer. I need you.” She didn’t need to ask
him twice.

“I’ll come as close as you want me to be.” Ryan ran his
hands up her bare arms and back down, lighting small fires on every inch of her
skin. “Lift your arms, Princess.” She heard his sharp intake of breath when she
complied so quickly to his demand. He slowly glided her tank top up her torso
and over her head, revealing a lacy baby-blue bra that barely covered her full
breasts. “Jesus Christ, baby, I didn’t think perfection could be improved.”

She would have called him out on his tacky line but the
sincerity in both his raspy voice and his hungry eyes told her that he believed
every word coming from his mouth. “Looks like you got some paint on your canvas
too, Princess.”

Thousands of goose bumps varnished the surface of her skin
the moment his calloused finger traced the ink that scrolled across her ribs. “
The
darker the storm, the deeper the pain
. Huh? Where’s the rest of it, Ash?”
He asked, referring to the second part of Leo’s tattoo that she had purposely
left off when replicating her brother’s on her skin. She had known the second
Ryan removed her tank that this tattoo would be a discussion, but had hoped he
would be too afraid of bringing up the past to call attention to it. As always,
when it came to Ryan Baker, he didn’t do what she assumed he would.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ry,” she murmured,
leaning in to brush his chest with soft strokes of her greedy tongue and
effectively ending any discussion about her tattoo or Leo’s lost words. As her
hands slid down each ripple of his abs, she felt excitement and moisture
building between her thighs. God, she had waited for this man for so
long—dreamed of this moment for so many years—and now the moment had finally
arrived.