For The Love of Ash Read online

  I watched June try on a pair of my knee high boots, smile, and then look up at me. I felt like her personal Barbie doll. She seemed to be happy with my hair as she touched my head and moved the strands around.

  She shoved me out of the bedroom for no reason at all, and I banged on the bedroom door. I demanded entry, but I could hear them both giggling from the other side. She had won Ash over. Damn her. I was in a two on one situation here.

  "Now introducing: the pretty, sophisticated, responsible girl, Maggie!" The door swung open, and I decided to have fun with it. I put my hand on my hip and swung my other arm in a circle as I cat-walked towards Asher who was clutching his stomach with laughter.

  I walked to the bed and spun around, hitting a pose and bowing my head. I glared at Asher with my model face and then spun around again, hitting another pose. And then I tackled him.

  I scooped the little boy into my arms and started tickling his sides. He was begging me to stop but when I did, he begged me to keep going. He was hilarious. I had to stop because I couldn't breathe.

  I felt like I was sixteen again, carefree as I got ready for prom. Of course, minus the whole losing my virginity thing. I'd prefer not to remember that night. Also minus the whole getting drunk and throwing up in a bush outside of the school thing.

  "Let's go wait for Lisa," I said as I hopped off the bed.

  Ash and June followed me down the stairs and we sat in the living room as we waited for Lisa to get here. I looked over Asher's head and caught June's gaze. She smiled at me, nodding like she knew this was a good idea, and I rolled my eyes but nodded too. I had to agree.

  Lisa got here right on time. It was eight o'clock, so she only had to entertain Ash for an hour before he went to bed. Truthfully, I didn't mind if they had fun and stayed up late. As long as he was happy, I was okay with everything else. I grabbed my small purse from upstairs, and when I came back down, Ash was lying in the crease of the couch, his thumb in his mouth.

  "I love you," I told him as I bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

  "I love you, too." His voice was already sleepy, so I knew I wouldn't be missing much. It made me feel so much better leaving when I knew he would be asleep the whole time.

  "Goodnight, baby. Be good." I kissed his forehead and then walked to the door with June behind me.

  "I'll pick him up at your place, okay?"

  "Sounds great, Maggie. I'll make sure my dad leaves the door open." Asher perked up when he heard that he was going to Lisa's. I smiled as June and I left the house.

  We hopped in June's car, which was great because I could actually relax. I knew I was going to have a drink or two. It was going to be weird, since I hadn't had a single sip of alcohol since the funeral. But my day had been lucky so far, and I was banking on tonight being a good one.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Luke

  Father left at noon, and on my way home from work, I grabbed my bags from Lindsay's and drove to the house. It was home, but at the same time, it wasn't. I didn't miss my bed or anything warm and fuzzy like that. It was just easier than imposing on my older sister. There was less guilt involved.

  "Yo!" Liam said as I walked in the door. He walked over and high-fived me before focusing back on the DS in his hand. He was a video game junkie, so I expected nothing less.

  I ran up the many stairs to my bedroom and threw my duffel in the corner. I heard my phone vibrating from one of the pockets, so I pulled it out and shoved it between my shoulder and ear.

  "What's up?"

  "New bar opening, will you go with me and Lauren? Please," she whined into the earpiece.

  "Aren't you here somewhere?" I asked, stepping into the hallway. I could've sworn I could hear her voice from her room two doors down.

  "You're at Mom's?" She stepped into the hall and saw me. She ended the call and then walked over to me. "So, you coming or what?"

  "I guess. Why is Lauren coming?"

  "'Cause she's our sister who we love."

  "We might as well invite Lisa then if this is a family outing." I rolled my eyes and walked back into my bedroom.

  "Lisa's only twenty, you moron." Lindsay flopped onto my bed as I pulled my nice shirts out of the duffel bag and hung them on hangers. I'd leave them in the laundry room for Cora to clean and steam later.

  "Are you going out with Maggie tonight?" Lilly asked as she walked into my room. She immediately saw Lindsay on the bed and covered her mouth. And then, of course, she laughed.

  "Who the fuck is Maggie?" Lindsay asked as she sat up, her elbows digging into the bed. Lilly ran over and jumped on the bed and sat next to Linds. It appeared my room was being taken over.

  "Well, I won't be telling you anything anymore," I told Lilly jokingly.

  "Maggie is this really beautiful woman who Luke loves."

  "You love her?" Lindsay yelled, her voice getting shriller and shriller.

  "No! Jesus." I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. "She's just a girl from one of my classes who I have an interest in."

  "But I helped him get a date with her!"

  "Good job," Lindsay said as she high-fived Lilly.

  "What is it with this family and high-fiving?" I mostly asked myself. Both girls shared a glance, and then before I could flee, they attacked me, hugging me in a tight squeeze as they held hands around me.

  "You're driving, Luke. Be ready at eight."

  "Where are you guys going?" Lilly asked, her voice hurt like she was being left out.

  "New bar. Sorry, sis. Only four more years until you can come along."

  "Please, I already drink. It's not a big deal."

  "You drink?" I exclaimed, heated.

  "Luke," Linds warned tilting her head and glaring.

  "I'm seventeen, Luke. I'm not a baby like Liam. I told you about my boyfriends. I'm mature. I'm practically an adult even though I don't turn eighteen for another two months."

  "Have you had sex?" Linds asked, and I inwardly groaned. I stepped back into the closet and wished that it would eat me alive. I did not want to be here for this conversation.

  "It's not your business."

  "That's a yes," Linds said, shaking her head in disappointment, even though I'm fairly certain she was younger than Lilly when she first had sex. She was a straight A student on two varsity sports teams, but I heard rumors since we were in high school for two years together.

  "Please. Just leave. Both of you. I shouldn't be here." I shut my eyes as I walked forward and pushed them through the room. I thought I wanted to know more about Lilly, but I was wrong. I'd rather be completely ignorant about what she did. They were right about ignorance—bliss.

  "Hey!" Lilly yelled as I shut the door on their faces. I turned and rested my back against it, sighing as I tried to relax.

  My bedroom was dark even though the blinds were open and it was still light outside. I decided to text Maggie even though my gut told me she wouldn't respond. I just wanted to see her words, envision her voice.

  Me: Let's go on a date tonight.

  Maggie: I'm glad you're no longer speaking in code.

  Maggie: But no. I'm busy.

  Me: You promised my baby sister.

  Maggie: You exploited her. Foul on you.

  Me: I'll give you that.

  Maggie: I've got to go. June's coming over.

  Me: Are you going out tonight?

  Maggie: None of your business…

  Me: So she does have a life. Good to know.

  Me: What's your favorite food?

  Maggie: I'm thinking there's an ulterior motive to that question.

  Me: Answer and I'll tell you :)

  Maggie: Chinese food. Are you going to use that against me somehow?

  Me: No. Now I just know where to take you for our date.

  Maggie: :P And that's a mad smiley not happy. Since our date is imaginary

  Maggie: I seriously have to go!

  Me: I'm going to find you tonight…

  Maggie: Good luck.


  June refused to answer my text message about where they were going tonight. It was frustrating me beyond belief. I threw my phone down on my bed and walked into my bathroom. I needed to shower, and it was getting closer and closer to eight, when I had to hang out with my sisters.

  I turned on the water and stepped in while it was still cool. I stood with my back to the water and let it run over me. I had to stop thinking about Maggie and all this relationship shit. This wasn't me. I had other plans after I could leave this town, and they didn't include a relationship.

  The only real thing I knew about her was that she liked Chinese food, and yet I was contemplating going bar to bar to find her. I pictured her in the center of the dance floor, letting loose and dancing with guys. God, I imagined her being beautiful, her hair in a ponytail like she wore it at Prime Time.

  Immediately, I got hard. With the water and all my frustrations building, I let myself fantasize. I pictured her dancing up against me instead of other guys. Her perfectly round ass pressed into my hips and grinding against me. She fit perfectly with me, our bodies made for each other. I would tug on her hair-tie to let it loose. Her hair fell across my chest, and I pulled in the scent of vanilla and lavender.

  I stroked myself harder and faster as I pictured Maggie turning to face me and kissing me. Her fucking lips were soft and thick, and I devoured them, running my hands through her silky hair. She moaned into my mouth, soft yet passionate.

  I grabbed onto her hips hard and dragged her through the crowd. Our lips never left each other as I carried her to the back of some bar and tore my way into a supply closet. People were muttereing, the music thumping, but it was quiet around us, her breath the only thing I focused on.

  I placed her onto a wooden box and pulled her shirt over her head. She was a fucking porcelain doll, with the most perfectly shaped breasts. They were hidden behind a small black bra, the tops of her breasts bulging. I couldn't stand not kissing them.

  I pulled down her bra and sucked her nipple into my mouth, and she moaned again. It was the most erotic noise I think I'd ever heard in my life. I sucked again just to hear the noise. Her pleasure was mine and making her feel amazing was my only priority.

  "Luke," she whispered into my ear as the tip of her tongue trailed the length of my neck. I thrust against her about to come from just kissing her.

  "Luke," she said again. "Come." I obeyed her every command and came onto the floor while she licked and teased my neck, her fingers raking up and down my stomach, her nails digging into my muscles.

  I leaned my head down against the shower wall, panting from my fantasy. It was too real. This was too much to handle. She was already invading my life before I even got a single date with her.

  "Luke!" someone yelled as they banged on my bathroom door. "Come on!"

  "I'm getting out," I muttered to one of my sisters.

  "It's almost eight," Lindsay whined, banging against the wood again.

  "I'm fucking coming. Relax." I turned to face the water and let it run over me. I washed fast with the bar of Dove and squirted the Head and Shoulders shampoo/conditioner combo into my hand. I lathered it and rinsed under the water and jumped out into the warm bathroom.

  I wasn't dressing fancy. Linds said it was just a new bar in town so I pulled on a pair of jeans and a button up shirt with a white tee underneath. I brushed some gel into my hair since it was starting to get long. I didn't want it to get in my face and deal with the strands tickling my forehead all night.

  "I'm ready," I said as I walked back into my room. Like I had guessed, Lindsay and Lauren were sitting on my bed, looking drastically different yet the same at the same time. It was so weird how uour similarities took precedent.

  Linds was wearing a black halter top with knee-high boots. Lauren's dress was pink with a frayed bottom that made her look like a flapper. Her hair was pinned to the top of her head, and she had on high heels that made her almost as tall as me.

  "Finally," Lauren groaned as she tapped away on her phone. I reached into my duffel bag and pulled out a pair of black shoes, slipping on socks, too.

  "Let's go, family!" Lindsay hopped up, and despite her outlandish heels, she wrapped her skinny arms around Lauren and I and dragged us towards my pickup truck.

  The truck unlocked with a beep. Lauren climbed into the back with Lindsay's helping hand. Lauren was a princess. I chuckled as I jumped into the driver's seat and started it up.

  Cellar was more than just a bar. I looked around me at the men dressed in nice button-ups and slacks and then looked down at myself. I rushed to the bar, rolling my sleeves down and buttoning the shirt at my wrists.

  "I'll have a whiskey," I told the bartender, who flicked her eyes at me. She smiled and nodded as she reached behind her into the cabinet that was backed with a full-wall mirror.

  As she bent down to grab the bottle, I noticed the way her black shorts rode up her ass, showing me just the bottom of her cheeks. It was fucking hot. Her dark black hair was long and pin straight, her eyes lined in black as well.

  "It's on me," she said as she stood and turned. She placed the cup in front of me and winked, slipping a napkin across the bar. She scribbled what I guessed was her number on it and then slid it so it touched my hand—emphasizing that it was intended for me only. Score.

  I decided to stay at the bar. I sat down on the stool and sipped my whiskey, watching my sisters flutter around the dance floor out of the corner of my eye. This wasn't my scene at all, but the bartender made me enjoy it, stopping by periodically to check in one me.

  The entire club was shadowed in blue. Neon lights lined the ceiling and walls, flickering and pulsing to the electronic sounds from the DJ booth in the corner. I already felt a headache coming on.

  I caught the eye of the bartender again, and I decided to check out the napkin she slipped me. Sure enough, her number was scrawled in chicken scratch with her name, Farah, underneath.

  As I finished off my whiskey, I was left with two options. Lindsay was off with a guy in a suit, leaning against a high bar table and chatting. Lauren was sitting with a group of girlfriends in the VIP section that was cornered off by a blue velvet rope.

  Instead of searching for Maggie when she made it blatantly clear she didn't want to be found, I decided to order another drink from Farah and stay until she could go home. I needed to get my mind straight.

  "Another?" she asked as she slinked behind the bar. Her fingers trailed behind her, her pointer gliding along the wood bar. She was a temptress, and I had no doubt that she was going to be a good lay.

  "Please." She smiled as she turned around again. This time, she sat in her hip as she bent down, wiggling from side to side just to play with me. Damn. Her ass was big but toned, perfectly round cheeks that begged me to grab ahold of them.

  "Are you sticking around?" She placed the drink in front of me and leaned on her elbows. Her breasts were pushed together, perky, but clearly fake. I usually wasn't a guy who liked fake anything, but I couldn't ignore the effect they had.

  "I think so," I told her with a grin.

  "Good." She turned and went towards a man who was waving a twenty dollar bill in the air like a white flag surrendering. I sat back and faced the center of the floor again, checking for my sisters.

  Lauren was in the same place; only a few guys had sidled up to their table. I smiled as I watched her even though I understood nothing about her. I didn't see Lindsay. I surveyed the club, trying to look in all the corners, but she appeared missing.

  "Great." I downed the last of my whisky, finished drinking for the night, and stood up from the bar stool.

  "Don't tell me you're leaving." Farah magically appeared behind the bar in front of me.

  "I have to find my sister. I'll be back."

  "I hope you will." She reached over the bar and took my hand in hers, holding it like she was trying to be sincere. But it only came across as desperate. I recoiled, instantly turned off.

  I headed for the bathrooms first. I
had experience with a drunk Lindsay from all the times we partied in college and then the times when she was in college. She'd call me to come get her from BC, claiming that she was in danger. But when I got there, she hadn't even remembered the call. This happened all of three times before I caught on.

  Just as I was about to barge into the ladies' room, what did you have it, she came out. She was stumbling as she pulled at the hem of her dress so it covered her bare ass. She was a fucking mess, and we hadn't even been here long.

  "Damn, Linds," I muttered as I grabbed onto her forearm and dragged her backwards. I didn't even look at the guy who came out behind her. I didn't want to see his face. I wasn't in the mood for a fist fight.

  "I'm not even drunk, Luke. Get off of me." She pulled her arm out of my grasp and glared up at me. She didn't slur.

  "Why did you just hookup in a bathroom then?"

  "I wanted to. I knew he wouldn't fuck me unless I acted drunk."

  "Don't need to hear this. You're fine?" I asked her, looking up and down to make sure she wasn't bruised or anything. She seemed fine. It still wasn't something I could get used to.

  "I'm good. Promise." I wrapped my arm around her shoulder as we walked back towards the main room of the club. We stopped at the edge of the dance floor.

  "There's no way."

  "No way, what?" Lindsay asked as I turned right back around and hid behind the wall. I couldn't believe this was happening. I mean, I wanted it to happen, but shit, I didn't know what the hell to do. "Luke what is going on? Why are you pacing?"

  "She's here."

  "Who?"

  "Maggie," I whispered in a near panic. "What do I say?"

  "Go to her," Lindsay said as she pushed my back. I dug my heels into the wood floor like a child. "Luke, grow a pair. Go!" A last shove had me right at the edge of the dance floor. Maggie didn't see me, but I walked towards her, resolving to at least get her to talk to me.

  Chapter Seventeen