“I’m not worried about that,” she says quickly. “I’m worried about us getting lost. We’ve both been drinking, and I can barely see ten feet in front of me.”
“I do this all the time,” I point out, guiding her down a different path than this morning. “I’ve only gotten lost twice and both times I was wasted.”
“How close to trashed are you?”
I laugh and lift a branch for her. “Not even close. You won’t ever see me wasted. I wouldn’t do that to you. No one wants to see me that way. Trust me.”
“When was the last time you got that way?” she asks after a few minutes.
“After my last concert,” I admit. “I got so fucked up that I blacked out. But I don’t want to talk about that. I’m feeling good right now. I don’t want to ruin it.”
Once we’re a good mile into the woods, I stop at my favorite spot and turn on the two spotlights I hung up in the trees a few years ago. Natalie looks surprised when she notices the thick sheet of plywood painted with a target hanging in front of us. “Remember when I said I like to axe throw in California sometimes?”
“Yes.” She grins when I hand her the axe. “I didn’t realize you meant here. What do I do? Just throw it?”
“Just aim and throw, Nat. The point is to have fun. If you miss, you miss. No pressure. This isn’t a competition.”
“Where should I hold it?” She looks down when I grab her right hand and move it down to the end of the handle. “Like this?” She holds it over her right shoulder and does a fake swing to test it out.
I nod and pull out a cigarette. “Perfect. Now throw it.”
She laughs when the flying axe hits the bottom of the plywood and falls to the ground.
“Harder,” I say, walking over to grab it for her. “Put some strength behind it. Don’t be afraid to let loose. Just fucking do it.”
She swallows when I stop talking, breaking a peaceful silence, before throwing it again, putting some force behind it this time. My heart beats excitedly when it sticks just below the target this time.
“Hell yeah. Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Really good.” The grin spread on her face when I hand it to her makes me happy I brought her out here. I usually do this alone. “Again?” she questions. “What about you?”
“You first. Always. That’s how I work.”
She looks at me for a few seconds longer than normal, before turning away and throwing the axe at the plywood again. “Oh, my God!” she shouts. “Did you see that?”
“I did.” I smile and take one last drag off my cigarette before putting it out. “You looked great doing it too.” She walks over to grab the axe from the middle of the bullseye, but I get there first, tossing the axe aside before pulling her into my arms. “Are you having fun?”
She nods, looking up at me.
“Want to stay out here for a while? We can do anything you want. We don’t have to go back and put on a show any more tonight. I just want you to enjoy yourself for as long as possible.”
“I want to stay,” she says. “It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun. Buuuuttt…” She maneuvers her way out of my arms to grab the axe off the ground. “I’d have more fun if you joined me.”
“I can do that.” The way she watches me as I adjust the axe to get a comfortable grip has me feeling nervous for some strange reason. She’s never looked at me this way before, and I can’t tell if it’s because we’re having fun or because she might be slightly drunk, which has me off my game, missing the bullseye.
“Better luck next time, rock star.” She laughs and attempts to grab the axe from the plywood, but it’s buried so deep that she’s struggling.
“Here,” I say over her shoulder, smiling against her ear as I give her a hand. “That was just my warm-up throw. Honestly, I’ve done this so many times I could probably hit the target without even looking.”
“Show me then. I want to see.” She gives my chest a slight push, putting some space between us. “I want you to look at me while you throw it.”
“Okay.” I grin and get back into position, my attention on her off to the side, watching me with eager eyes. “Ready?”
“Why are you asking me?” she questions. “You’re the one…”
Her words trail off at the sound of the axe splitting the wood. Instead of looking to see if I hit my target, I watch the huge smile that crosses her face instead.
“Impressive. But, I bet you can’t do it again.”
Smiling, I yank the axe out and walk over to stand right in front of her. Keeping my eyes on hers, I grab the back of her neck with my left hand and tangle my fingers in her hair. We’re staring at each other in the silence of the night lost in each other as I throw the axe for the third time.
“Did I hit it?” I ask after a few seconds.
She clears her throat and finally turns toward the target. “There’s no way.”
I release my hold on her and turn to see what she’s looking at. The axe is stuck directly in the center of the bullseye. “My best shot yet.”
She steps away and looks around us. “Maybe we should head back. I’m getting kind of tired.”
“Anything you want, Nat.” I walk over and turn off the first light. “We should probably shower and get ready for bed.”
“Yeah,” she says quickly, her face disappearing when I turn off the second light. “I’ll let you shower first.”
I grab her hand and begin guiding her through the darkness, lifting branches and kicking stuff out of her path. “There are no taking turns, babe. If people are awake, they’re going to expect us to shower together. Showering separately doesn’t make any sense.”
“Are you serious?” She stops walking.
I laugh and tug her back to me. “Don’t worry, you can wear your bikini. No one has to know.”
“And you?”
I grin, even though she can’t see it. “What about me?”
“Are you going to wear your trunks?”
“Why would I do that?”
“So you won’t be naked. That’s why.”
I plan on wearing them, but she doesn’t need to know until then. “Nah. Why does it matter when you’ve already seen me naked? I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Oh, it definitely matters. Your bro—”
“My brother isn’t here, is he?”
“Dammit, Madden.” She yanks her hand from mine and shoves me away from her. “I’ll skip a shower then.”
“Wait a second.” I hurry and wrap my arms around her from behind before she gets too far ahead of me. “We can’t have them thinking we’re fighting. I was joking. Okay?”
“Okay, well stop,” she says firmly. “Let’s get this over with then.”
I have to admit, the thought of taking a shower with Natalie has me slightly excited even though we’re both going to be partially covered.
My brother might be a little pissed about our shower time, but he should’ve known this would happen from all the times he’s been here. He’s just lucky I won’t be naked.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Natalie
When we get back to the cabin, Jake and Riley are the only two left outside. It gives me hope that everyone else has called it a night; until we walk inside to see the others hanging out in the living room watching TV.
Alana looks over the back of the couch the moment she hears the door open, her attention settling on our hands as Madden’s grip on mine tightens. “We’re taking a shower and calling it a night,” he points out. “We’ll see you guys in the morning.”
“Okay,” Jess yells back. “Just don’t use up all the hot water, because none of us have showered yet. You know how quickly it runs out.”
“We’ll make it quick,” I say, my pulse racing as Madden leads me to the bedroom to grab our things. Even though we won’t be naked, just the idea of being in the bathroom while each other showers feels so… dirty. “Quick,” I repeat once we’re alone. “I don’t want to be stuck in the bathroom
with you forever. You’ll get in and then I’ll jump in once you’re done.”
“Here.” He flashes me a sexy grin and tosses me a pair of his boxers and one of his T-shirts.
I look down at the worn-out RISK shirt in my hand and then down at his underwear. “What? The rock star needs me to carry his change of clothing for him?” I toss the T-shirt at his face. “You can handle it just fine, I’m sure.”
“No.” He tosses the shirt back to me. “They’re your pajamas.”
“I have my own,” I clarify.
“Yeah, but you’re wearing mine.” He leans over me and begins digging through my suitcase for my bikini, stuffing into his back pocket. “Can’t let anyone see you bring this into the shower with us.”
“I need underwear and a bra,” I say when he pulls me to my feet and kicks my suitcase closed.
“No, the fuck you don’t, Nat. You’re going to sleep. You should be comfortable. A T-shirt and boxers are all you need.”
Too tired to argue with him, I let him pull me into the bathroom and lock the door behind us. I stand back, nerves kicking in as he turns the shower water on. “This is so weird.”
“What?” He reaches for his shirt and strips it over his head, before going for his jeans. “Are you going to stare at me the whole time or get changed?”
Embarrassment creeps in once I realize I’ve been watching him undress. “I’m waiting on you to turn around so I can change. So...”
He flashes me a cocky grin before kicking his jeans aside and turning away. My attention immediately lands on his firm ass in those tight boxer briefs he’s wearing. I swear under my breath and avert my eyes toward the wall as I quickly change, scared he’ll peek if I don’t move fast.
Once I’m in my bikini, I wait for him to get in, but he motions for me to instead. Figuring he’s just letting me go first, I step into the small shower, swallowing when Madden steps in behind me. We’re so close I can feel his chest against my back. “Some space would be nice.”
“There isn’t much to give, babe.” He reaches over my shoulder for the body wash, his lips dangerously close to my cheek. “Don’t worry… I’ll make it quick.”
I suck in a breath when I feel his hands moving behind me. I can’t tell which part of his body he’s touching, but what I can tell is that the thoughts running through my head are extremely inappropriate right now. “You just touched my ass,” I point out.
“If I touched your ass, you’d know it, Nat. Or did you forget already?”
No, definitely haven’t forgotten the way he touched me. “Maybe. Or maybe I’m trying to.”
He laughs. “Good luck.”
Annoyed, I turn around to face him, pushing him against the back of the shower. “Do you ever stop with the cockiness? We just had a nice night together. Let’s not ruin it. You could’ve waited until I was done to get in.”
Without a word, he reaches over my shoulder for the soap again, except this time he squeezes it over my chest. “Can’t use all the hot water, remember?” He runs his hand over my body, his gaze focused on mine as he cleans me. Even though he skips my breasts, his hand moving along my stomach causes butterflies.
“I can do that myself,” I finally manage to say once he moves down to my thighs. I push his hand away and he spins me around and goes right for my back.
“Really? Looked to me like you were just going to stand here all night while I took care of myself.”
My eyes close, my heart racing faster the longer he touches me, and when his hand skims my left ass cheek causing skin to skin contact, I decide I’ve had enough and step out of the shower. “You finish yourself off and then I’ll take a shower. How about that?”
It’s what we should’ve done in the first place. Getting into the shower with Madden to save hot water was a stupid idea I should’ve never even entertained. The moment he got in I should’ve got out.
“All right. Your loss, babe.” He winks and closes the shower curtain.
It feels like forever has passed when he finally opens the shower curtain again. My eyes practically pop out of my head at the sight of him stepping out, naked, with his hands covering his junk. “A towel would be nice.”
I turn away so fast that I almost give myself whiplash. “Again, with nakedness, Madden.” I throw the towel at his face and pretend I’m not the slightest bit turned on by his nudity, when we both know I am. I can see it in his eyes. “Now hurry so I can wash my hair.”
He steps out of the way, and without waiting for the shower curtain to close behind me, he releases his junk to run both hands through his wet hair. Luckily, I’m quick enough to turn away before I can get another eyeful of his sizeable package.
“What do you want to do tomorrow?”
“I don’t know,” I say, trying my best to focus on washing my hair and not the fact that I’m showering with my boyfriend’s brother right outside the curtain. “Whatever everyone else is doing.”
“I want you to choose. Anything you want, we’ll do. Just the two of us.”
My stomach does little flips at that idea. “What about your friends?
“They’ll be fine without us for a bit.”
“Okay.” I shut the water off and reach for the towel he already has ready for me. “What is there to do around here?”
“Anything we fucking want, Nat. We can take a walk in the woods or hang out at the bar next to that gas station we stopped at on the way here. Think about it tonight.”
“Okay.”
“Here.” He smiles and grabs the towel from me to help me dry off. I should probably ask him to stop, but admittedly, it feels nice having someone want to take care of me for a change. Not that I need someone to, but it feels good on occasion. Everyone can admit that.
“Thank you.” I smile and toss the towel over his head. “No peeking while I change into pajamas.”
I’m not sure why, but I feel oddly comfortable in Madden’s clothes, and the way he’s looking at me from seeing me in them is almost one of admiration. It gives me the feeling he likes seeing me in them. Why do I like that so much?
“You two done in there?” Jess yells through the door. “Jake and I are next.”
It takes Madden a few seconds, but he finally turns away from me and opens the door. “Yeah. It’s all yours.”
Alana is still on the couch when we exit the bathroom. Her face falls when she sees Madden’s clothes on me. I’m not sure if she’s finally starting to believe we’re together or not, but she genuinely looks hurt.
Madden must see it too, because he grips my hip and kisses my neck, moving me down the hall with his body, making a show of it. “She’s starting to doubt herself,” he says, tossing our wet towels and clothes onto the dresser. “We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, Nat. Can you handle that?”
“If it’s going to get her to move on, then yeah,” I say, climbing into bed. “I can handle it.”
“Good.” He scoots me to the side of the bed and climbs in beside me, his body practically taking up all the space. “Because our sleeping arrangement has to change. I’m not chancing anyone walking in to see us sleeping separately. Remember, no locks.”
“You’re not serious, are you?” My heart slams against my ribcage, waiting for his response. “Are you?” I ask again.
“Relax, Nat. I’m not going to touch you inappropriately. It’s late. We’ll both probably be asleep in the next five minutes.” He wraps his arm around me and pulls me down to his chest. “Don’t fight me on this, please; not when there’s a chance it’s working.”
I exhale and place my arm over his chest. “Fine. But just know I’m only doing this because I want this to work just as much as you do. I still find it weird and uncomfortable.”
“Sure, you do,” he says quietly, running his fingers through my hair. “You seem pretty comfortable to me.”
“I’m not,” I mutter. “Your chest is rock-solid.”
“So is the rest of my body. I’ve never had any complaints about it. Ju
st because my brother’s chest is soft like a pillow…”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “Stop talking and go to sleep.”
“Is it true you left the concert that night because you felt guilty for not being able to take your eyes off me?”
“Yeah,” I admit, remembering that night. “Is it true that you looked for me for two songs?”
“No.” It’s quiet for a moment before he adds, “I looked for you the rest of the night. Up until I got piss drunk and the boys dragged me to my hotel room. It was a rough night.”
My heart sinks. “What were you going to do if you found me?”
“Shit, I don’t know. Buy you a drink and get to know you maybe. There was something about you… The way you looked at me was different than what I was used to. Like you saw the real me and not what the rest of the women around me always see—a famous rock star they want to be fucked by. You sang every single lyric to every song and you were so lost in the feel of it all. I liked that. Not to mention you were sexy as fuck.”
My pulse speeds up from hearing him call me sexy. But more than that, he just admitted that he wanted to get to know me that night. Hearing this now, I know without a doubt that if I weren’t dating his brother already I would’ve let him buy me that drink. I would’ve spent all night talking to him if he wanted to. I was lost so deep in my emotions that night after hearing him perform.
“I don’t even remember how I looked that night. I was probably wearing—”
“A pair of faded blue jeans and a white tank top. Your hair was braided to the side just like it was the other day and you kept playing with it until you finally took the braid out and shook your hair out. I couldn’t stop watching you run your fingers through it.”
His own fingers still running through my hair feels so much different now than it did just a few seconds ago. More intimate somehow, which makes me nervous, yet I don’t want him to stop. “Did you recognize me when your brother introduced us?”
“Fuck yeah, Nat. Why do you think I was awkward as shit? I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that you were the girl I was going to go for at my concert and my brother had you in his bed all along. Then I kept wondering if we would’ve ended up in a hotel room together with me between your legs and my brother hurt had you stayed.”
Reckless Rock Star (Cocky Hero Club) Page 16