Storm Front (The Charistown Series) (Volume 2) (3 page)

She’s
Still My Sister

ARRIVING HOME FROM work, Ashley was
so excited that she ran straight to Leo’s bedroom, leaving the front door wide
open. Her huge grin dimmed when she realized that he and Ryan weren’t there.
From the open window low tones of masculine laughter could be heard. Looking
out, Ashley could see both Leo and Ryan in the back yard, about to jump in the
pool. She watched intently as Ryan pulled off his t-shirt and let it drop to
the ground beside him.

“Mmm.” The noise escaped her mouth and she was thankful the
room was empty. “It’s so unfair to the rest of the guys in the world for one to
have so much while others have so little,” she muttered to herself. Ryan’s body
was a work of art on so many levels. Sure, there were guys his age just as
tall— as he stood over six feet—but they were all skin and bones. Not Ryan. No.
Ryan was all corded muscle and tight skin. His body was chiseled from hard
workouts with the soccer team at school. Such was his dedication that even when
the season ended he would double his efforts at the gym. Having just turned
nineteen, Ryan was one of the older kids to graduate in the spring. He was also
one of the first to get a tattoo without parental consent…legally.

Ashley stared at the ink that graced the left side of his
upper ribcage.
Always in my Heart
it read in beautiful script. Ashley
wiped at her cheek and a stray tear fell from her eye. She still got emotional
when she thought about Ryan’s mom and her long battle with cancer. Ryan and his
father had moved to Ashley and Leo’s area after she died to be closer to the
rest of the family. Even though Ashley had never met the woman, she felt deeply
for her. How could she not? Look what an amazing son she’d raised.

A loud splash had her looking down at the pool, where Leo
had just cannon-balled into the water. The two friends were laughing like big
kids. Making full use of her vantage point, Ashley found herself staring at
Ryan again. He had the best smile and beautiful full lips that framed his perfectly
white teeth. He loved to brag that he never had to wear braces. It frustrated
the hell out of her when he talked about his lack of orthodontics, especially
on the days when she had just come home from having her braces tightened and
her mouth hurt. Were Ryan’s teeth perfectly straight though? No! He had one
tooth on the top row, just over from the center, that was slightly crooked and
that freaking tooth made him even sexier. “It’s so unfair,” she said a little
too loudly to the open window.

“Hey, sis, stop peeping and start playing. Get your suit on
and come down. We’ve been waiting for you.” Pink cheeked and more than a little
embarrassed about being caught watching them, Ashley left the window and went
to get in her swimsuit.

“Jesus Christ,” Ryan muttered as Ashley sauntered poolside
in her red bikini. The combination of her golden, sun-kissed skin and toned
body had Ryan’s dick so hard that it could have been used as a diving board. He
gazed longingly at her while she put down her towel and mp3 player before
slowly descending into the water.

“Dude, I’m standing right here.
And
she’s still my
sister. Do I need to remind you, again?” Leo smiled, his voice void of any
threat or anger.

On their road trip, Ryan had talked about Ashley a lot. Leo
hadn’t said a word but after seeing the two of them interact at the restaurant
earlier that day, Leo had finally confronted Ryan. They’d been sitting in Leo’s
room when he brought up the subject.

“Ry, I’m gonna ask you something and the only wrong
answer is a lie, okay?”

Concerned by the look in his friend’s eyes, Ryan croaked,
“Sure, Le. What’s up, buddy?”

“We were on the road for a month and not once in that
time did you hook-up with anyone. The girls were all over you, man. Why didn’t
you take one? You were like a fucking saint out there. What gives?”

Ryan swallowed hard and closed his eyes. He thought for a
moment and looked his best friend square in the face. “There’s someone I’m in
to. Nothing
has happened between us, so far,” he quickly added. “But I
really care about her. I want her…no, I need her. And when I finally have the
balls…” He stopped and took in a deep breath before continuing, “And the
blessing to go after her, I wanna be able to tell her that I haven’t thought
about or touched another woman since realizing she was the one for me.”

Leo smiled at his best friend, his band mate, and the
closest thing he had ever had to a brother and said, “You have my blessing,
Ryan. I can’t imagine anyone better for her. But if you hurt her, I will kill
you. Understood?”

Speechless, Ryan stared at Leo. “How did you know?” Ryan
lifted his hands in a defensive pose, “I swear to God, we have never done
anything behind your back, man. I swear!” He lowered his hands and exhaled
heavily, “But, I think I love her. No, I know I do.” Ryan couldn’t believe that
he was finally able to share the feelings that he’d been bottling up for
months. He’d thought he was going to have to hide them forever. Or worse, he’d
have to choose. My God, this was amazing.

“I’m not blind, Ry. I see the way you look at her. It
makes me…well, it makes me want to throw up. I mean, uh…” He paused as if
searching for the words. “She’s my sister,” he offered by way of explanation.
“But I know she feels the same way about you. She’s never told me. I know she
would never want to make things difficult between the three of us. She would
rather never have you than take you away from me. Some would say she’s
selfless, I say she’s stubborn. She’ll always put the needs of others before
her own needs. But stubborn works both ways, ya know?”

Ryan’s brows pulled together in question.

“I mean that when Ashley loves, she loves forever. And
those that she loves will always come first. You see…stubborn! So yeah, the two
of you may have tried to hide your feelings for one another, but man when you
guys are writing songs together, it’s like watching magic. After witnessing
your run for sainthood this month, and then seeing you guys today…” Leo mock
shivered, “once again, makes me wanna puke.” He made a gagging sound and Ryan
started to laugh. “Look, you have my blessing, man.” Their eyes met and they
exchanged a silent promise. Ryan to not hurt Ashley, and Leo to step aside and
let the relationship take its natural course.

It was a true testament to their friendship that the
conversation had been an easy one. Reaching for his best friend, Ryan shook
Leo’s hand. Leo gave the slightest of nods before pulling him inward and
slapping him on the back. And that was it. Permission granted.

Now, Ryan watched this gorgeous girl slide into the pool
without any clue as to how every single step she took was one step closer to
bringing him to his knees.

“What are you boys talking about?” Ashley said wiping the
water from her face, finally joining them at the deep end of the pool.

With Leo’s blessing in his proverbial pocket, Ryan knew that
he could finally take steps to make Ashley his, and he would start as soon as
humanly possible.

“ALRIGHT GUYS, I’LL run out and pick
up dinner. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.” Leo winked at Ryan as he left
the pool with a towel wrapped around his torso.

“What was that about? Do you think he’s acting weird?”
Ashley asked. Ryan barely heard her questions while he watched as Ashley clung
to the edge of the pool, her back to him as he walked through the water to get
closer to her. The soft lapping of the water around them gave away his
location. She sensed him closing in and shivered. He doubted her reaction had
anything to do with the water’s temperature. Just knowing that she was affected
by him made Ryan grateful for the cover of the water to disguise his growing
arousal.

“I think he wanted us to know that we had some time to
ourselves.” Ryan whispered in Ashley’s ear, his warm breath spreading thousands
of goose bumps over her wet flesh. She turned around and he got lost in the
warmest pair of hazel eyes gazing into his. With the sun setting around them,
Ryan loved how her hair looked like spun gold.

She inhaled sharply before speaking, pressing her hands to
his chest pushing some space between them. "What are we doing Ryan?"
her voice hoarse with desire. His ears perked at the particular way she phrased
her question. Employing the use of
we
instead of
he
would suggest
that she was already allowing herself to consider this.
To consider him
.
While his initial reaction was to roar his excitement, he harnessed his
enthusiasm as he slowly moved his way to her again.

“Ash,” her name came out as a whisper as he stepped even
closer. He ran his hands up her arms and cupped her shoulders, his thumbs
stroking the smooth skin around the curved bone. He felt her body tremble and
her breath get shallow. Ryan knew she wasn’t scared, he could see the desire in
her eyes. He could feel warmth radiating from her sweet smile. One hand moved
to her neck and one to her jaw, he lifted his thumb, gently swiping its pad
over her full bottom lip just a fraction of a second before he placed his mouth
to hers for the first time.

His lips were warm, soft and tender. His hard naked chest
pressed firmly up against hers, heat sinking into her skin and spreading like
the roots of wild flowers. He deepened the kiss as his tongue entered her mouth
and stroked hers as if savoring the very feel of her essence. The tug when his
fingers twisted in her wet hair sent more thoughts racing through her scrambled
mind, could this really be happening? She had fanaticized about this moment for
months, even years, if she was being honest.

At first her thoughts were girlish dreams of hugs and pecks
on the cheek, but over the years her fantasies had become those of a woman—filled
with lust, desire and need. Ashley had never given her body to another person.
Not only was she a virgin but other than a few chaste kisses she had remained
virtually untouched, saving her body for the one person who held her heart.