Reckless Rock Star (Cocky Hero Club)

by Victoria Ashley

  “No.” She moves in close enough to wrap her arms around my neck, her lips lightly brushing mine when she speaks. “I need you Madden, and I know you need me. Stop trying to hurt me on purpose. Send her home, because we both know she’s nothing more than some random girl that means nothing to you.”

  Hearing Alana refer to Natalie as a random girl that means shit to me has me yanking her arms off me and jumping to my feet. “Fuck off, and I don’t ever want to hear you call my girl random again. We’re together whether you like it or not, and you’re going to see that you’re wrong. You can be replaced, Alana. In fact, you already have.”

  Before she can work me up even more than she already has, I walk away. I can’t let her get to me. I can’t let her work her way under my skin again.

  My focus needs to be on Natalie.

  My hands, my lips, and my fucking body needs to be on her if this is going to work.

  I’m going to have to push the boundaries a bit with my brother’s girl, and I have no doubt that she’s going to kill me before this trip is over, but I’d rather die from her bare hands squeezing my throat than Alana’s squeezing my fucking heart until it bleeds out.

  Either way, I may not make it out of this trip alive.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Natalie

  The look of hurt and anger on Alana’s face as I passed her in the hall moments ago tells me she most likely wasn’t expecting to see me in Madden’s jacket. She kept looking me over in it as if she wanted to rip it from my body. I could tell she wanted to say something to me, but instead, she stormed outside to most likely find Madden and take it out on him instead.

  I wonder what she’s saying to him, and that has me tense and wanting to get through this shower as quickly as possible. I’m not sure why I feel the need to protect him from her, but I do. Doesn’t she know that she’s already done enough damage? Does she even care?

  My mind should be on Logan right now and what I learned about him in the woods, yet here I am, worried about his damn brother instead. It doesn’t feel right. This whole situation is fucked up.

  “What am I doing here?” I lean against the wall of the shower and run my hands over my face, feeling lost. It’s only the second day and I’m already confused on how to feel and what to do. “You don’t belong here, Natalie. This is stupid.”

  I stand here motionless for a few moments, lost in my head, before I shake off my thoughts and reach for the body wash that I borrowed from Madden’s suitcase.

  Less than a week. Then Madden is on his own and I’m back to the Parker brother I belong with. I can do this until then. I can handle it.

  At least I tell myself that, until I squeeze the soap into the palm of my hand and get hit with a scent that isn’t Logan’s. It smells incredible and I hate Madden right now for it. “Ugh!”

  Madden’s scent assaulting me while naked in the shower is the last thing I want since I’m stuck here in the middle of nowhere with him. Especially after knowing what his rock-hard abs feel like under my fingertips. I haven’t forgotten the fact that my hand almost went to the last place I want it to ever go. At least he had the decency to wake me up, but I’ll admit, it has me wondering just how long he was awake before he decided to stop me from making a fool of myself.

  The cocky jerk was probably awake the entire time, enjoying me mistaking him for the wrong Parker Brother. As much as that thought should disturb me, it does the complete opposite.

  Exhaling, I quickly rinse his soap from my body, needing to wash away his scent, along with all thoughts of him. I need to ask Jess if I can borrow her shampoo and body wash next time. Using Madden’s was a stupid idea. I should’ve just waited for Jess to wake up.

  That thought runs through my mind the entire time I’m stepping out of the shower and getting dressed. How would Logan feel knowing that I smell like his brother right now? Not sure why it’s on my mind, considering he agreed to me coming here in the first place.

  Pushing that thought aside before I get angry over it again, I step out of the bathroom. The first thing my eyes land on when closing the door behind me is Madden leaned against the counter in the kitchen, dressed in a snug black T-shirt. His dark eyes are on me, his jaw tense as he looks me over in his jacket that I slipped back into.

  My heart pounds from the intensity of his stare. I hardly even noticed Alana, Jess, and Jake in the kitchen at first, because his eyes have me frozen in place for a moment, unable to turn away.

  “I’ll be back,” he mutters to the others, coming at me with purpose, my heart rate speeding up the closer he gets.

  I get lost in his eyes as he holds our gaze and grips me by the waist, yanking me to him. The little unexpected squeeze that he does has me releasing a sound that instantly embarrasses me.

  Without breaking eye contact, he gives my hip another squeeze, his jaw flexing as he watches for my reaction. He doesn’t say anything, making this moment even more intense. His body moves in closer and presses into me, a heavy breath escaping me, before he drags me into the bedroom and slams the door behind us.

  Once alone, he snatches my clothes from my arms and presses me against the door, being sure to make as much noise as possible. “What are you doing?” I ask breathlessly, my heart close to pounding out of my chest.

  “What I have to for this to work,” he growls into my ear, pressing me harder against the door with his body. It’s so firm I can barely breathe. “You may hate me after today, but I’m not leaving here without Alana believing we’re an actual couple, and so far, that’s not the case.”

  I press my hands against his chest to put some space between us. I need some space. “And what?” I give him a hard shove. “Backing me against a door in private is going to show her that? This is extremely unnecessary.”

  “Yes,” he says firmly, pressing his hand against the door right beside my head. “I’m aggressive in the bedroom, Nat. I thought we’ve already established that.” He leans in so that his lips are brushing my ear. “When I want someone, everyone knows it. And right now, I want you.” He whispers the last part, causing me to swallow. “At least, that’s what they need to think.”

  Fighting to catch my breath, I give him one last shove, forcing some space between us. “Let me breathe, Madden. How do you expect me to breathe with your body so close?”

  His lips turn up into a cocky smirk as he looks me over. “What? My body making it hard to breathe, Nat?”

  “No,” I say quickly. “That’s not… never mind. I don’t need to explain it to you. Just don’t do that shit again without a warning first or I will rip your balls off. I mean it.”

  “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He gets serious again, his expression changing. I can tell he’s struggling with how to act right now. This is an adjustment for both of us. “The moment Alana saw you in my jacket she began questioning me. I saw you step out of the bathroom all wet and looking cute in my jacket and I did what I would’ve done if we’d been a real couple. What she knew I would’ve done if we were a real couple. I’m going to have to do things to you, Nat.” He runs a hand through his hair and takes another step back. “But I’ll try my best to warn you next time. It’s not a damn promise, though. Sometimes my body reacts before my head can figure out what the hell it’s doing. That will happen a lot here this weekend. Can you handle that?”

  “I guess I have no choice,” I whisper, barely able to force the words out. “I’m stuck here now, aren’t I?” When he doesn’t say anything, I add, “I need to put my clothes away and brush my hair. I need a minute to get my shit together to deal with the rest of the day. So… just stay away for a few minutes and let me breathe.”

  He nods and takes a seat on the bed, pulling his suitcase to him. “Reasonable enough. Might want to get your bathing suit out while you’re in there. It’s about time to take a dip in the pool.”

  “This should be interesting,” I mutter to myself, while gathering my scattered clothes and heading to my suitcase. I’m in the middle of going through m
y things when I get a whiff of Madden’s body wash again. The more I move, the more powerful the scent becomes.

  “It smells better on you.” Madden’s voice surprises me, reminding me that he’s still in the room with me.

  “Wait, what?” I look up to see Madden now leaning against the door, his arms crossed over his chest. “What smells better on me?”

  He smiles. “The body wash you’re sniffing. It’s okay, I won’t tell my brother you’re in love with my scent.”

  “What!?” I drop my arm once I realize I’ve been holding it to my nose. “I’m not in love with it. I like it. I recognize a good fragrance when I smell one, that’s all. It’s… nice. Now stop smiling at me like that. It’s really starting to piss me off.”

  “Why?” He lifts a brow. “Because I know you’re lying?” He pushes away from the door and walks over to stand in front of me. “Hey. Quit getting snippy. No judgment from me. My brother’s taste in body wash and cologne has always been shitty if you ask me. He smells older than his age. Get used to my scent, babe. Take it all in, because it’s the only body wash you’ll be smelling for the next five days. Just don’t get too attached,” he adds with a small grin.

  “Yeah… that won’t be a problem.” I slap his chest. “By the time we leave here I’ll never want to smell your body wash again. In fact, I’m sure of it.”

  “Are you positive?” he questions beside my ear.

  I swallow and take a step back, trying my best not to sniff the jerk. He’s wrong. I’m positive it smells better on him. “A hundred and ten percent.”

  “If you say so.” He opens the door and grips the doorframe while looking down at my suitcase. “Everyone is waking up. Change into your bathing suit and meet me in the kitchen. Unless you need to borrow a pair of my underwear.”

  “Yeah, no. I’m good. I’d swim naked before wearing your underwear.” I snatch my bikini out of my suitcase and push him out of the room. “Stop looking at me like that. I have one, so it’s not happening. Now leave so I can change.”

  I exhale the moment he walks away, finally feeling as if I can breathe again, but the moment I inhale, I get hit with his scent again, and it has me wishing I could smack Madden for being so cocky.

  Less than ten minutes later, everyone is headed outside with one cooler filled with drinks and another filled with food for the grill.

  Madden tugs the end of the leather jacket I’m still wearing. “Nice touch.”

  “I only kept it on because it’s a little cloudy right now. Don’t worry, I plan to take it off the moment the clouds disappear.”

  He flashes me a grin and reaches for my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. Leaning in, he whispers, “Sure. We’ll go with that.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, coming to a stop.

  “It’s okay if you like wearing my jacket, Nat. No need to make up excuses.”

  “Excuses?” I grab the end of the worn-out jacket, causing him to look down at it. “To wear this old thing that smells like your partying habits? Ha! Very funny.”

  He leans in, his eyes focused on mine as he sniffs close to my neck. “Smells like my body spray to me. But I forget that you like the way I smell.” He sniffs me again, his closeness causing goose bumps to form. “With a hint of Victoria’s Secret Bombshell. It’s a damn good mix if you ask me. It’s hot.”

  I make sure no one is watching us before palming his face and pushing it out of my space. I don’t even want to know how he knows the name of my fragrance. “Knock it off, Madden,” I growl through clenched teeth. “Nothing about the two of us together is hot. It’s annoying. That’s what it is. Now, do you want me to play along with your little game?” He nods. “Then stop pushing my buttons just to get a rise out of me.”

  “I’m only doing what I have to, Nat.” He grabs the back of my head, forcing our eyes to meet. “I need you to loosen up and stop acting so stiff around me. The thought of me close to you makes you nervous… I get it, but we need to change that and fast.”

  “It doesn’t make me nervous.” I lie.

  He grins and moves in closer now that we have an audience. “So, if I kissed you right now, you wouldn’t be nervous?” I swallow and peek over his shoulder to see Alana staring extra hard. “I know she’s watching us right now. I also know she’s probably expecting me to kiss you, but I won’t. Not yet.”

  Not yet is a phrase that has me feeling weak in the knees as he takes a step back and grabs my hand again, not releasing it until we’ve reached the lounging area.

  Why the hell did my body react that way to the idea of him kissing me? I knew from the very beginning there’d have to be a kiss at some point. I even mentally prepared myself for it before showing up at Logan’s the other day ready to jump into his truck.

  But now that we’re here and things are real, I’m not sure I’m ready for Madden to kiss me. Even if it is only for show.

  “Hey, babe! Join us over here.” Jess motions for me to join her and Alana over by the pool, so I free my hand from Madden’s, glad to get away. “Us girls usually just hang out and relax while the boys man the grill. It’s a little cloudy right now, but it’ll warm up by the time we get done eating.”

  “Sounds good.” I take a seat on the other side of Jess, glad to not be too close to Alana, who hasn’t stopped staring at me since the moment we all got out here.”

  “A little warm for a jacket, isn’t it?” Alana mutters, before sitting back and slipping her sunglasses on. “Someone just wake me up when the food is done.”

  Jess rolls her eyes and gives me an apologetic smile. “How did you sleep last night?”

  “Like a baby.” I lie. I couldn’t sleep for crap last night. I woke up every couple of hours, looking down at Madden, reminding myself that my boyfriend—his brother—is at home where I should’ve been. “I always do in Madden’s arms.” I add loud enough for Alana to hear.

  “Good to hear. It’s sometimes hard to sleep the first night with everyone being excited to see each other and being away from home, but I’ve seen how Madden sleeps, so I can see why you slept like a baby. I wish Jake would cuddle me like that at night. Must be nice.”

  “It is. It’s one of the things I love about him.” That’s not a lie. I got a small taste of how that felt that night on the couch.

  “Good. I’m glad he brought you.” She lays back and closes her eyes. “I’m going to rest my eyes for a bit too. Feel free to do the same and relax. The boys will get us when it’s time to eat.”

  I nod and close my eyes, feeling anything but relaxed. The best I can do is pretend. It’s not like I can call Logan and ask him to get me out of this situation. I’m here and I need to do what’s needed of me.

  We’ve been out here for close to an hour now and I couldn’t help but notice that Madden was quick to pour himself a drink the moment Seth cracked open a fresh bottle a bit ago.

  He looked anxious, as if he’d been waiting all morning for someone to start drinking so he could too. Now that we’re around everyone else, he doesn’t seem as laidback and relaxed. He’s not the fun, carefree Madden I saw in the woods earlier, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. I liked that side of him, whether I want to admit it or not.

  I didn’t think seeing him upset over his ex would bother me so much, but it does. I hate that she has the power to hurt him to the point he feels the need to drown himself in alcohol just to function around her and his friends. It’s unhealthy.

  Seeing him like this makes me want to do something to change that, but I know I can’t. I’m not the right girl to be here right now. What Madden needs is someone who can truly get him over her. He needs someone who can show him it’s okay to move on, and that not every girl is going to hurt him the way she did.

  He put all his trust and heart into Alana, and she crushed him. I can see why he hasn’t had anything deeper than a sexual relationship with anyone else since. I know more than anyone what it’s like to be lied to by someone you trust. It’s not easy to rec
over once that happens.

  I look away from Jess talking and take a moment to watch Madden interacting with the guys at the picnic table next to the one us girls are eating at. Jess suggested I eat with the girls so we could chat and get to know each other. It’s been awkward, since Alana hasn’t spoken one word the entire time I’ve been sitting down. If looks could kill I would’ve been dead over twenty minutes ago.

  “I don’t know about you ladies, but I’m ready to swim and work off this greasy burger. You done with that?” Jess is talking to me, but my focus is on Madden as he tilts back his drink again.

  “Yeah. I’m done.”

  Jess smiles and turns her attention toward the guys’ picnic table once she notices where I’m looking. Her smile widens when Madden looks at me and winks just like he has every time our gazes have locked.

  “I’m surprised you haven’t melted from that wink yet, Natalie. Don’t tell Jake, but our famous rock star has the hottest wink I’ve ever seen. He must really adore you too, because every time I’ve looked over there, he’s looking right at you.”

  “And I’m sure he’s also making sure I’m comfortable,” I say nervously while gathering my dirty plate and napkins. “Since it’s my first time meeting everyone and all.”

  “And your last time,” Alana whispers into her cup, but I ignore her, not wanting to give her the attention she’s seeking.

  “Maybe so, but it’s still cute.” Jess stands and gathers her trash before yelling over to the boys. “You boys done chit chatting like girls so we can swim?”

  “Hell yes,” Seth yells back, before standing and yanking his shirt over his head. “We’ve been waiting on you girls to ask. You take forever to eat.”

  “Yeah, but it won’t take me very long to kick your ass,” Jess jokes back.

  Madden stands to throw his trash away, and when he walks toward me, without thinking, I meet him in the middle and wrap my arms around his neck for show. “Your ex has been stabbing me in her mind this entire time. I think I even felt it break skin once.”