Reckless Rock Star (Cocky Hero Club)

by Victoria Ashley

  I pull her tighter against me for comfort, because I can hear the frustration in her voice. He’s a dick for doing this and he knows it. “He probably just misses you,” I say, wanting to make Natalie feel better for my brother’s fuckups. “I know I would.”

  “Maybe,” she whispers back, finally loosening up in my arms and getting comfortable. “When it comes to your brother, I don’t know anymore. Not after everything he’s kept from me that I’ve learned about him this week.”

  “…that was three years ago. Remember that?” Seth jumps to his feet and slaps Jake on the shoulder. “You woke up beside the fire pit with your boxers pulled down to your ankles. That shit was not a pretty sight to see.”

  “Fuck you.” Jake laughs. “You dicks kept feeding me shots even after I could no longer walk straight. What the hell did you expect?”

  “Oh, that’s nothing!” Jess says excitedly. “Remember that one time when Alana walked outside to find Seth floating around on the flamingo in one of her thongs? His balls were hanging out each leg hole.”

  Everyone bursts into laughter, Natalie included. I could’ve lived without the memory of that. I’m sure everyone could’ve.

  “There was that one time when Logan blacked out and ended up in bed between Jess and I.” Jake shoots my brother a hard look. “I thought it was Jess caressing my leg the entire fucking night until I rolled over and was face to face with that dickhead.”

  Logan’s face turns red as he tilts his drink back. “To be fair, your leg was smooth. I thought it was Jess’s.”

  “Funny, dickhead!”

  “What about that time Madden was brave enough to fuck me in the pool while everyone else was sitting right here talking just like we are now?” Alana’s eyes land on Natalie at the same time she tenses in my arms. “It was a long night. A very long one.”

  “What the hell?” Jess says in surprise. “That’s not cool to talk about, Alana. It’s rude and inappropriate.”

  “What?” Alana shrugs and sets her drink aside. “We’re all talking about memories from past trips. It was fine to bring it up and laugh about it two years ago. What’s the problem now? Am I just supposed to forget it ever happened?”

  “Alana,” I say firmly. “Drop it.”

  “Why? So, I’m just supposed to forget the way you pushed my bikini aside and sunk between my legs as if you needed me to breathe? Or did you forget how that felt? Did you forget how much you needed me then? Because I haven’t.”

  “If he hasn’t already…” Natalie says, surprising everyone. “He will soon. I’ll make sure of it. Now I’d shut my mouth if I were you.”

  There’s an awkward silence after that; although, my brother gives Natalie a look of disapproval that I notice out of the corner of my eye.

  “Okay.” Walker turns the music louder. “Maybe we should take a break from talking and just chill for a bit.”

  “Yeah,” Logan adds. “Probably a good idea.”

  Natalie is staring in Alana’s direction as if she’s fighting something back, before finally standing and walking toward the cabin.

  I get ready to stand and go after her, but my brother stands first. “I’ll be back. I left a six-pack in my car.”

  It’s an excuse to get some alone time with Natalie. Our friends don’t know that when he disappears into the cabin he’ll most likely be kissing and touching her, but I do, and it has me anxious as shit. After a few minutes and them both still gone, I can’t take it anymore, wondering what he’s saying and doing to her, so I leave the others and head toward the cabin.

  I walk inside, their voices catching my attention from the hallway. I can’t see them, and like a nosey dick, I stand here and listen, wanting to know what they’re talking about.

  “…what do you expect, Logan? How do you want me to act when I’m supposed to be here with your brother? Of course, I’m not jealous of Alana.” Her voice shakes. “It’s an asshole thing of you to ask. You can’t just show up here five days later and all of a sudden act like the jealous boyfriend.”

  “Well, it sure sounded like it out there.” He pauses for a second, before adding. “It sounded real to me, and hell yeah it has me jealous. In case you’ve forgotten, just five days ago you barely tolerated my brother. Now you two are all cozied up together as if you’re in love. What the hell am I supposed to think? Was it real? Outside in front of everyone. Tell me the truth.”

  “What?! No. I’m just… I’m playing my part. That’s it. Am I not supposed to act like the jealous girlfriend? Here you are playing the part of the jealous boyfriend for the first time ever and you’re the reason I’m here in the first place. You decided it was okay behind my back without talking to me first. Don’t forget that.”

  “Dammit, Natalie. I told you I never thought you’d agree to it. That’s the only reason I agreed.”

  “If you say so.”

  “It is,” he says a little too sternly for my liking.

  “Everything good in here?” I make my way around the corner to see Logan pinning Natalie against the wall. His body pressed against hers has a surge of jealousy taking over. “You might want to take a step back before the wrong person walks in. You’re lucky it’s only me.”

  My brother exhales and takes a step back.

  “What are you doing here, Logan? You said you weren’t coming. Why show up now on the last fucking night?”

  He lets out a humorless laugh and walks to the kitchen to grab a beer from the fridge. He shuts it and leans against the door, his eyes hard. “I saw a picture online of you two at a bar looking a little too cozy. Then I got a message from Natalie that she missed me. So here the fuck I am. Guess I should’ve just stayed home.”

  My stomach drops at hearing Natalie text my brother that she missed him. “When did she text you?”

  “Last night. Or at least that’s when the message came through.”

  When I turn to look at Natalie she looks guilty, as if she wishes she’d never sent it. I wish she hadn’t either, because for some reason, it feels fucking shitty. Like my girl betraying me. “I didn’t think you’d get the text. I figured you’d get it when we were on the road back home.”

  “Well, apparently you’re the only one with cell service here. Good to know.” I try my best to hide my disappointment, but my voice hardens at the end. “I guess I’ll let you two catch up since you miss him so much.”

  I walk away before I can do or say something I’ll regret. Shit, I don’t even know why her missing him hurts so fucking much, but it does. I go out the side door that leads to the hot tub, wanting to avoid our friends.

  If I take off into the woods, they’re going to know something is wrong. So instead, I grip the edge of the hot tub and squeeze. I’m on edge right now and seconds away from making an ass out of myself.

  The longer I’m out here and they’re inside alone, the harder I squeeze, wishing it were my brother’s throat instead. Talk about fucked up.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  NATALIE

  I don’t know why I’m so angry with Logan for showing up, but I am. I thought I’d be happy to see him. I’m supposed to be happy to see him, since he’s my boyfriend, but all I can think about is how this could screw things up for his brother, and I’ve become protective of Madden.

  If Alana or the others notice Logan’s discomfort with me and his brother being close, they’re going to catch on that something isn’t right. We’ve worked too hard this entire trip to make Alana believe we’re really together just for Logan to show up and possibly threaten the progress we’ve made. I’m pissed. Then there’s the fact that I’ve been practically begging him for two years to bring me here and he’s refused every time, with the excuse that he can’t take off of work.

  “You should go home, Logan.”

  His eyes widen with disbelief and he sets his beer down. “Are you serious, babe? I drove all the way out here to see you, and now you’re telling me to go home?”

  Anxiety fills me when he moves in and grips my hi
p, giving it a slight squeeze. Without thinking, I yank his hand away like it’s not supposed to be there. My reaction is so natural that it confuses me. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, taking a step back. “You being here is only going to complicate things for your brother. You know more than anyone how much he needs things to work. Are you really willing to risk his one chance at getting his life back just because you saw a photo online and decided you wanted to see me?”

  He tenses his jaw and looks me over, taking me in wearing Madden’s jacket. “You’re wearing his jacket. It’s the first thing I noticed when I walked up aside from you grinding your body against his. That’s his favorite jacket,” he adds.

  I swallow and reach into the fridge for a water bottle. “It’s actually mine now. He gave it to me.”

  “What the fuck? Are you serious?” He cracks his neck, before gripping the counter with both hands.

  “Yeah. He seemed serious about it.”

  “That asshole,” he spits out. “I know exactly what that means.”

  “What?”

  He stands up and rolls up his sleeves, clearly angry. “That he’s falling for you.”

  My chest tightens, but before I can figure out how I feel about Logan’s words, Jess and Alana join us in the kitchen.

  “Hey! Where’s Madden?” Jess asks. “He’s not in bed already, is he?”

  I shake my head and force a smile. “He’s by the hot tub waiting for me.” That might not be true, but that’s the door he left out of. “I’m going to join him. I’ll see you guys in a little bit. I’m sure you guys have some catching up to do.”

  I expected Alana to give me a nasty look or have some snide remark, but when I glance her way, she’s looking at Logan. I can’t tell if she hates him or has a thing for him, and instead of waiting around to find out, I walk away in a hurry to get to Madden. I need to see that he’s okay. I hate that he walked away like he did.

  When I step outside and close the door behind me, he’s leaning against the hot tub, his arms crossed over his chest. He looks up, his amber eyes meeting mine, causing my stomach to sink when I see the pain in them. “Everything good with my brother?”

  “I don’t know,” I admit. “He’s mad at me for telling him he should leave.”

  Madden pushes away from the hot tub and grabs my shoulders to look at me. “You told him that? Did he do something to hurt you?”

  I shake my head. “I just want to get through this last night together. I think it’s best if we avoid the others for a bit and let Logan catch up with them. I don’t think he’ll be leaving, and if we’re going to get through this, we can’t have him watching us the way he has been since arriving. It’s making me nervous.”

  “We’ll stay away all night if you want. I’m all about making you happy. Just tell me what you want.”

  Butterflies fill my stomach from the way he’s looking into my eyes. The urge to lean in and kiss him has me clearing my throat and turning away instead. “A dip in the hot tub?”

  He smiles and yanks his shirt over his head. “I’m down.”

  I smile back and strip down to my bra and panties. “Just a nice relaxed night in the hot tub.”

  “Sounds good to us.” Logan’s voice has me stiffening the moment I step into the water. “Alana and I just had the same idea. Well, I did, and she followed.”

  He can’t be serious.

  “It’s the last night and I haven’t been able to enjoy the hot tub yet,” Alana says, climbing inside and taking a seat in her own little corner. “You guys had it to yourselves the other night. You can share the last night.”

  Anger courses through me and I cast a hard glare in Logan’s direction. He did this on purpose and he knows it. If he wants to see me and his brother together, then it looks like he’s going to get his wish. As if he hasn’t done enough, to top it off, he brings Alana with him. That’s so low.

  “I guess we don’t have much of a choice.” I wait for Madden to sit down before taking a seat between his legs. His arms instantaneously wrap around my waist, causing my heart to speed up.

  “You comfortable?” he whispers against my neck.

  I nod and wrap my arms around his. Logan has no one to blame but himself right now. He’s the reason I’m in his brother’s lap putting on a show. He’s the one who decided to play this little game because he’s being selfish.

  “How’s your girlfriend enjoying our friends?” Logan steps into the water and takes the seat closet to us. The way his gaze lands on me has me becoming angrier with him. He’s being a complete dick right now and it has me wondering if this is the real him; the version I’ve been learning of but haven’t seen yet. “Fitting right in as far as I can tell.”

  “Yeah.” Madden pulls me tighter to comfort me. He makes me feel protected, as if he has my back. “Everyone loves her. In fact, we were just talking about her coming back next year.”

  “I think planning a year from now is thinking a little too far ahead,” Alana says, tensing, her eyes landing on Madden. “You don’t know if you’ll even be together then. You two could break up tomorrow for all you know.”

  “I do know,” Madden says sternly. “Natalie isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I won’t fucking let her.”

  “I agree with Alana,” Logan chimes in, giving his brother a pissed off look. “It’s a little early to be making plans for next year. Maybe you should take it easy, brother, in case things don’t work out. Alana is right on this one.”

  I shoot Logan a hard look, unable to believe the shit coming out of his mouth right now. “I think I’ve changed my mind. I’m not in the mood to be in the hot tub anymore.” I stand and grab Madden’s hand, showing him I want him to come with me. “You two have fun.”

  “Come on, guys.” Logan stands and watches as we grab our clothing. “We just got in. Get back in.”

  “No thanks.” I narrow my eyes at him, being careful not to make it noticeable to Alana. “You two enjoy each other’s company since you both believe things won’t work out between Madden and me. I’d rather not listen to this shit tonight and ruin the good vibe our last night here.”

  “I agree, brother. Natalie is right on this one.” Madden places his hand on the small of my back and guides me to the door, opening it for me. “I’m sorry about him,” he says once we’re alone. “My brother is being a fucking dick tonight.”

  “Yeah, he is.” I slip my dry clothes over my wet underwear and run my hands through my hair in frustration. “I want to kick his ass right now.”

  Madden grips my face and bows his head to look at me. “Me too. Trust me. He’s lucky our friends are around. He should’ve never put you in that uncomfortable situation.”

  “What about you?” I meet his gaze, my stomach sinking at the idea of him still hurting over Alana. “He never should’ve brought your ex into the hot tub knowing how you’ve been struggling over her. That’s what I’m the most pissed about.”

  “I’m not anymore.”

  My heart stops at his admission. “You’re not?”

  He shakes his head and smiles. “Nope. You helped me realize that. I’m over Alana. I think I have been for a while and just didn’t notice. Being here with you, I’ve realized what makes me the happiest.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Being around someone I can trust and have fun with; someone who is playful and feisty and makes my fucking heart go crazy whenever I look at her.” He pauses, his gaze landing on my lips. “Someone who makes me feel good and happy. Someone like you, Nat. I want someone like you.”

  I can’t breathe, my emotions taking over. I don’t know why I’m reacting this way over something so simple as him saying he wants someone like me, but it’s doing something to me that I can’t control. “I need to take a walk.” I back away, putting space between us. “I need some air.”

  Before Madden can stop me, I walk away and rush out the front door to escape. I need to breathe and being around him is making it hard right now, especially after hearing what I
just did.

  I take off around the side of the cabin and press my back against it in a hurry. I’m standing here breathing heavily and trying to calm down when I hear Logan’s voice come from the front. He must’ve just come outside.

  “…of course I didn’t fucking tell him. We already discussed this, Alana.”

  My eyes widen at Alana’s name, my heart racing even faster.

  “Then why is he acting so cold toward me? He’s barely talked to me this entire trip. You’re trying to tell me it has nothing to do with him finding out about us?”

  I suck in a breath, my hands clinging to the cabin behind me over learning the truth. Logan and Alana. He’s the reason Madden has been so broken? He’s the reason Madden almost drunk himself to death! Logan didn’t agree to me coming here because he thought I’d say no. He agreed to me coming out of guilt.

  “Do you really think I want him knowing, Alana? Does that make any fucking sense?”

  “No. But neither does your brother showing up here with another girl either, yet here he is ripping my fucking heart out.”

  “You should’ve thought about that before you crawled into my bedroom that night and undid my pants, wanting to discover what was below the belt.”

  “Fuck you,” Alana spits out. “Clearly, it was the biggest mistake of my life. Your brother will never forgive me for cheating in the first place. Just imagine if he knew it was with you.”

  It’s quiet for a second before Logan says, “Maybe he should know.”

  “I’ll never speak to you again, Logan. I swear. You better not.”

  “I’m not going to. I need some fucking air to think. Go back inside before someone gets suspicious and finds us out here arguing. I told you not to follow me in the first place.”