Whisky Lullaby: Rock Star Romance, Step-brother New Adult Romance (Tennessee Romance Book 1) (10 page)

Devil’s Spoke

“You never told me you were such a bad ass,” Ashley teased Logan as they walked back to McCarron Hall along the dark campus streets.

Logan laughed. “I don’t know about that.”

“Please!” Ashley waved her hands in the air. “You’re hot. You ride a bike that only makes you look hotter. And you sing in a band. That back there was amazing! Seriously.”

Logan smiled but didn’t say anything.

“You, mister, are bad ass.” She knew she was gushing like a groupie fan. She couldn’t help it. She felt like she’d just been at a pop star concert and was crushing hard on the lead singer. She also wanted to taste his lips again. They made him all the hotter as well.

“So you had a good time then?” Logan asked in a tone of voice that didn’t seem so sure.

“You’re jokin’, right? Best date! Ever!” She couldn’t stop grinning. Or gushing. So much for the cool New York Juilliard disposition.

Logan laughed as he wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her close.

“I could have walked myself home.” She felt bad he’d left his band to clean up so he could take her back. “I do it all the time in New York.”

“And I’m sure in New York there’re cops at just about every corner.” Logan shook his head. “Not a chance, Ash. Not on my watch. It’s my job to make sure you arrive back safe and sound.”

She stared at his side profile, trying to memorize his face for the millionth time. “You’re hot, but you’re also a sweet one, Logan Murphy. I see through your disguise.” She stroked his hand with her thumb.

“Only on you,” Logan assured her as he smiled politely back at her.

They had reached the parking lot near the stadium and decided to walk to the quad. She wanted to invite him up to her dorm, but if Kaylee or Charlie were there… it didn’t seem like a smart idea.

Logan leaned in and kissed her, taking her by surprise as her breath slipped from her. “Sleep well, princess. I don’t want you more than three minutes late for that workshop tomorrow.” He winked as he kept his head close to her, their noses almost touching.

“Yeah… It’ll be so much fun lugging my cello across campus,” Ashley whispered.

“I can help you with that. I’m forever lugging instruments and equipment across campus.”

“It’s okay.” Ashley blushed slightly. She hadn’t been hinting for him to help her. Then again, who was she to deny the boy the opportunity of chivalry? And people said chivalry was dead! It was alive and well at TSU! “Well, I mean, if you want to…”

“Any excuse to spend more time with you? I’ll take it.” Grabbing her hand with his, Logan led the way across campus, like Ashley’s own personal beacon in the dark. She could soon see why Logan didn’t want her to walk home alone. There were pockets at night – places on campus that weren’t well lit, and after dark became hiding places for students to drink, hook up or find themselves other assortments of trouble.

Logan’s pace sped up as he rushed past a group of guys who were enjoying a round of beers and talking rowdily on the patio of Mick’s Café, a popular lunch spot on campus. It wasn’t lunchtime though, and Mick’s definitely did not serve alcohol. He kept his head down and Ashley wondered if it was to avoid being recognized.

McCarron Hall was just up ahead and lit up vibrantly. Music echoed from above them as Ashley and Logan got closer. Seeing that it was almost 2 A.M., she figured the noise would end soon. It was a school night after all, right? Blame it on the first day of classes, she figured.

“I thought quiet hour was eleven.”

“It’s supposed to be.” Ashley shook her head. “Somebody’s having a party.”

“That’s one hell of a party. What floor is your room on?”

“Third. I’m sharing the suite with my cousin, Kaylee.” She glanced up at the same time Logan did. “She’s probably the perpetrator of this shindig.”

“Lucky you,” Logan said with a grunt. “I like a good party, but this is kinda late for the first day of school.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Ashley sighed. “I’m going to have to be the miserable roommate to break it up. Half the people were probably at the club and then came here.”

Logan nodded as they approached the entrance to McCarron Hall. “Do you want me to come up?”

Thinking of Charlie and how the scene might play out, Ashley shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I have ear plugs, the heavy duty kind.” She winked.

“You better get some sleep, girly.” He teasingly poked Ashley in the arm. “I heard Professor Quill starts right on time and locks the doors after class starts.”

“Dang!” Ashley played along with him. “That’s harsh! I’ll have to be on time then.”

“Oh, you will be.” Logan smiled mischievously. “I’m gonna be here at 7:30 tomorrow morning to help you with your cello. If you’re not here, I’ll throw stones at your window.” He glanced up. “Which one’s yours?”

“I’m not telling.” She laughed. “You’d better get going then and rest up. My case is way heavier than your little banjo bag.”

“Ouch! Banjo bag?” He pretended to clutch his chest. “That’s low.” He seemed reluctant to say good night.

She wasn’t too quick on the jump either. They couldn’t just stand out there all night, though, could they? “Thank you for an amazing time tonight, Logan,” Ashley said as she kissed him on the cheek.

“Goodnight, beautiful,” Logan said with a sweet smile. Before she could step back, he swept her into his arms. His tongue swept across her lips and his hand pressed firmly on the small of her back.

All the breath stole from her lungs in that moment. She couldn’t get enough of him. They clung to each other until the need for air finally had them panting as they pulled apart. Planting a final kiss on Ashley’s lips, Logan pulled away knowing she had to go inside.

“Damn, sometimes it’s so hard to do the honorable thing,” he whispered and smiled at her. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Ashley turned to go inside. “Text me when you get in so I know you’re okay.”

The words seemed to evoke an emotion that was foreign to Logan. Maybe no girl had ever wanted him to call them so they knew he had made it home safely. Most girls probably only wanted Logan because he was the lead singer of Whisky Lullaby.

Ashley smiled. She was different. She actually cared and she planned to prove it to him. It didn’t matter to her if he was the lead singer of a band. She watched him wave one final time before heading around the building.

She turned and headed inside, cutting through the crowded lobby to make a beeline for the elevator. A group of frat brothers were making their way upstairs, too, which Ashley thought was weird, because they all lived at the Alpha Omega house or wherever it was they lived across campus. The tallest of the four guys pressed the button for the third floor.

A strange feeling settled in Ashley’s stomach.

“Sup,” a cocky looking guy said to Ashley.

Trying not to roll her eyes, she replied, “Sup” in much the same way the Idaho farm boy had just asked her. “Where’s the party?” She just wanted to crawl into bed and dream of Logan for the next five hours.

“Where’s the party, dude?” ‘Sup’ guy elbowed his buddy.

“Uhhh, just follow the music, dude…” another guy replied.

Bunch of genius we have here
, Ashley thought as she tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator rose to the third floor.

The elevator slid open and a pulsating beat banged loudly as their welcome. Techno music blared from the end of the hallway.

Shit
! It was her place. Of course it would be. It’s the biggest dorm on the floor.

The frat guys sped off down the hall, leaving Ashley in their dust. There was a keg stand going on outside the door to their room. She ignored them. The only thing she cared about was retreating to her bedroom, and snapping her idiot cousin in half tomorrow morning.

She couldn’t believe the suite could hold so many people. Alcohol and empty red cups peppered across the kitchen counter and floor. A ménage of couples were hooking up on the living room furniture. A group of rowdy football players and cheerleaders had gathered in the kitchen trying to talk some cheerleader chick named Jenny Chalmers into doing a keg stand.

Amidst all of the chaos, Ashley found her cousin slouched down on a barstool swigging on a beer as she chatted with a cute boy who Ashley didn’t know. She marched over to her cousin. “What the hell, Kaylee?!” She craned her neck, trying to see if her bedroom door was still shut, but there were too many people in the way.

“Ayyyy! Ashhhhley’s here! Heyyyy Ashhhh!” Kaylee slurred, the stench of alcohol wafted across Ashley’s nose as her cousin stumbled to hug her.

Ashley hugged her cousin gently, but she immediately pulled away. She wasn’t foreign to having a good time, but there was something adherently unhealthy about all of this. Everyone was drinking with the intent of getting obliterated. It was too freakin’ late. “I’ve got an early class,” she mumbled, pretty sure Kaylee didn’t care. Pushing her way through the crowd, Ashley moved to the hallway and was relieved to find that the door to her bedroom was still closed.

“Thank freakin’ goodness.” The door was unlocked and she opened it a smidge to make sure no nasty business was going on in her bed. It was quiet. She shut the door and locked it. She didn’t need any company. In the darkness, she found her desk and dropped her purse off on her desk. Rubbing her hand over her eyes, Ashley let a ferocious yawn rip from her mouth. She was exhausted. It had been an amazing night.

A pair of hands groped her in the dark. As she cried out, a hand covered her mouth and forced her into the corner. Through the dim light of the window, Ashley could see a blonde-haired man wearing only jeans. His bare chest rubbed against her and she shuddered. His scent was vaguely familiar. She’d smelled that cologne before.

Charlie
.

His breath was heavy on Ashley’s neck as she struggled to get away. His hand moved quickly up her shirt, and no matter how she tried, she couldn’t break free of his hold. He roughly squeezed her breast. “You fuckin’ want it.”

“Get off of me!” she hissed.

“Shut up! They’ll hear you!” Charlie’s voice slurred as he spoke.

Ashley could smell the alcohol on his breath and panic set in. She shoved him as hard as she could but he came back at her. No one would hear her because of the volume of the music coming from the living room.

“Get off of me, Charlie!” Ashley screamed, but it did her no good. No one in McCarron Hall could hear her cries.

Rolling in the Deep

Logan walked slowly with his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans. He had a harmony and song playing in his head as he relished the memories of the evening. The night was noisier than normal but the music played loud inside his head. He stopped suddenly when he swore he heard something.

Whether it was a sixth sense or he actually heard something, it didn’t matter. Whatever it was, it sent his heart into a galloping panic.

Spinning on his heel he looked in the direction he had just come. In a panic, Logan raced back towards the massive student housing building, his breathing hitched as his boots pounded against the pavement. He didn’t know what was happening, but Ashley needed him. It felt like she was in danger, and there was no way in hell Logan was about to let anything happen to her.

He pumped his legs with an urgency he had never known before. He passed by a group of girls chatting loudly as they teetered down the street in their high heels.

Skidding to a stop he called to them, “Where’s the party?”

“3J. Hey, are you Logan Murphy?” Suddenly the girls erupted in screeching.

“Yeah, actually I am.” He figured he’d use whatever it took to get him into the party. “Who’s holding it?”

“Like you don’t know.” One girl stumbled toward him, spilling a cup without even noticing. “Your stepbrother throws the best parties!”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Logan’s mind burned with anger. Tearing off down the street, he ran with ferocious intensity as his stepbrother’s face came to mind. Charlie’s two big problems: keeping his hands off the liquor… and keeping his hands off the girls.

Logan would knock his stepbrother into next month if Ashley got hurt in any way. He’d find himself in a jail cell before he would let any harm come to her. “Don’t test me, Charlie… You know I’m not one to mess with,” Logan hissed to himself through gritted teeth.

He pushed through the dorm’s doors and barreled up the stairs, taking three at a time and pushing people out of the way as he went. It wasn’t hard to follow the trail of people. They moved like a wave to let him through.

He burst through the door to the dorm, watching Kaylee clink her red solo cup with three others. A hiccup popped from her mouth as laughter exploded from her belly.

“CLEAR OUT!” he barked as he came through the door. He saw a girl in the corner of the room passed out cold, while other students stood around her like she was nothing more than a rug on the floor.

“Where’s Charlie?” Logan hissed at Kaylee. He gritted his teeth at the scene before him. In a snap he pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and dialed 911. He didn’t care what any of his classmates thought. People could get hurt. A girl was out cold, and Ashley was in danger. Charlie and Kaylee were idiots. Stupid drunk idiots.

After spitting his information to the emergency dispatcher, Logan quickly pressed the end button on the screen of his iPhone and darted towards the hallway. He had no clue which bedroom was Ashley’s, but it only took a moment for his internal compass to catch up with the situation.

He had heard Ashley’s voice clear as a bell from the road that led to McCarron Hall. She had to be on the west wall of the building. Abruptly, Logan turned left, placing his hand on the knob of the first bedroom. He wiggled the doorknob but it wouldn’t move. The door was locked. Logan could barely hear a thing with the music blaring throughout the dorm.

“Turn the fucking music off!” he yelled. His vocal chords had no problem rising above the speakers.

Everyone in the living room turned around to stare at him, yet, with all the looks of confusion and fear, no one bothered to do what Logan asked.

Shaking his head, Logan ran to the far wall of the living room and jerked the plug out for the stereo system from the wall. The obnoxious thumping of the bass ceased and Logan could hear exactly what was going on. Loud bangs and screams came from the bedroom where he had just tried. A fight ensued.

He stormed back to the bedroom door. Kicking at it, he was intent on getting in, one way or another. Boom! Boom! Boom! Logan’s boot slammed against the wooden door, cracking under the pressure of his force. He threw his shoulder into it, not carrying if he broke his hand or arm and could never play his banjo again.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Kaylee screamed, holding herself up by clutching at the wall.

“Saving your cousin!” Logan spat as he gave Kaylee a look of disgust. “Now unless you’re here to help, get the hell out of my way!” He threw his body again into the door.

This time the wood creaked in protest as it gave way and fell, Logan in tow, crashing to the floor.

He scrambled up, ready to kill.

Someone flicked on the light.

Ashley stood in the center of the room. Her shirt was ripped and her mouth was bloody.

Logan hesitated before moving toward her.

She stood sparring with Charlie. Or, more like, kicking his ass. She swung and landed a solid punch in his jaw, followed by a right upper cut. Words pumped out of her mouth as she hit him, “You fucker! You can take the girl out of New York but you couldn’t take New York out of the girl!” She hit him again.

Charlie bent to avoid another punch and then stumbled back.

They were oblivious to Logan.

“I don’t know what the hell you were thinking,” Ashley hissed, setting her hands on her hips, “but you’re messing with the wrong girl, Charlie Murphy!” She spat at him, blood and spittle hitting him on his bare chest.

Charlie swiped at her, just barely missing her arm.

Bang! Bang! Kaylee stumbled in and fell on the broken door.

“Go away!” Charlie yelled as he turned towards where the door should be. Ashley didn’t wait. She dove at him, her shoulder hitting him in the stomach and knocking him to the ground. Her fist collided with his jaw instantly and blood spurted from his mouth as Charlie lay on the floor.

Logan looked at Ashley, then glared at Charlie and back to Ashley again. He wrapped his arm around Ashley and lifted her off his stepbrother. He wanted to finish what she had started. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Charlie rose to his feet again and shot Logan a look of pure hatred. “Fuck off!” Charlie roared as he bumped chests with his stepbrother.

Logan shoved him hard and Charlie fell back onto the bed.

“Ashley, are you all right?” Logan turned to her in concern. His eyes lingered over her bloody lip, her ripped shirt and her hands that were balled into fists. Charlie had crossed a line. A big one. 

“Did he
touch
you?!” Logan asked sharply as he glared at his stepbrother, who was struggling to stand up again.

“Tried to,” she hissed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Bitch has a mean left hook!” Charlie griped.

“What is going on in here?!” Kaylee finally stood on top of the door, teetering either from alcohol or the wobbly door. “Ashley, what the hell were you doing with my boyfriend?!”

Ashley rolled her eyes. “Seriously Kay?”

“Kaylee, it’s not true. You know I love you.” Charlie glanced warily at Ashley and then Logan. “She came on to me.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing in my bedroom?”

A scoff erupted from Logan as he stared down his stepbrother. “The lady asked a question, stepbrother.”

“I see no ladies… Only bitches for miles to see!” Charlie spat at his little stepbrother.

“Oh, no you didn’t!” Ashley moved toward Charlie and Logan had to grab her to hold her back. Part of him wanted to let her have at him. She shook with fury but did not back down. Logan was impressed. She may have called for help, but she was handling herself just fine.

“You listen up, little man,” Ashley hissed as she jabbed a finger at Charlie. “You might be bigger than me. You might be stronger than me, but I’ve dealt with worse creeps. You don’t scare me, asshole. Try me. Touch me again. Come at me again, I dare you!” Ashley pulled free of Logan’s hold and moved forward incredibly fast so that he couldn’t catch her. She shoved Charlie so hard that he fell back into the wall.

Logan stared in shock. Did his girl just lay his stepbrother out? His stepbrother, who he considered to be dangerous, and the girl he liked, who he considered to be delicate and fragile and in need of protection?

“Now get the hell out of my room!” Ashley yelled as she closed the distance between herself and Charlie.

“How could you, Ash… I thought we were friends…” Kaylee gushed, clearly not understanding what was going on.

Ashley shook her head at her dimwitted cousin. “Get the hell out of my room, too!” Ashley screamed.

Her cousin didn’t linger. Grabbing Charlie’s arm, Kaylee bolted from the room.

Logan stood in the middle of the room with no idea what to do. Ashley didn’t need coddling. He knew if he went to his stepbrother, he’d kill him. He’d never been so angry in his life. Not even at Floyd. “Do you need to go to a hospital?” he finally asked, as he stared at Ashley’s cuts.

She touched her lip gingerly and shook her head. “I’ve a first aid kit. Maybe some ice for the lip.” She moved to the mirror and winced at what she saw. “Good thing I don’t play a trumpet.”

“Yeah, good thing,” he said absently. She’s tougher than steel.

“What’d you do to the door?” She pointed at it while rinsing a wash cloth under the tap with cold water.

“I couldn’t get in.”

“Thanks.”

He blinked, not sure what to say. “I think you handled yourself fine without me.” He grinned.

She flashed him a small smile before biting her lip at the pain it caused. When he stepped towards her, she held her hand up. “I’ll be okay. I do need to file a report against your stepbrother though.”

“What did he do?” Logan stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“He was waiting for me here when I came in. I didn’t think anyone was in my room so I locked the door so no one else would come in. Charlie attacked me in the dark and tried forcing my clothes off.” Tears burned at the corner of her eyes but she blinked them away. “He didn’t get far though. He wasn’t expecting a girl who knew how to fight back. Or probably someone who was sober.” She rubbed the blood off of her mouth with the wet cloth.

“Truth be told, you don’t look like the kind of girl who could whoop a guy’s ass. Not a big guy like Charlie.” He was going to kill his stepbrother. Logan took a step toward her just as voices shouted from the other side of the dorm suite.

“Police! Open up!”