Effortless (14 page)

Finally, someone inside whistled for the two mechanics chatting
with us to get back to work. They did so reluctantly, and Kellan
waved goodbye. Rox, Roxie or Roxanne, whatever her full name was,
looked back at Kellan before disappearing. She had an interested
expression that I’d seen way too often. And she hadn’t even looked
at me, like I was inconsequential. I wanted to sneer at her
retreating form, maybe stick my tongue out and say,
“neiner-neiner,” but I wouldn’t stoop to five-year-old behavior.
Yet.

Pushing aside yet another woman wanting him, I followed him up
the stairs to Evan’s. Kellan barged right through when we got to
the door, feeling just at home here as he did at his own place.
Matt’s eyes were on us the second we stepped through the door.

“Bout freaking time!” Matt glared at Kellan, and Rachel leaned
over and whispered something in his ear. His features calmed and he
relaxed a little, smiling over at where she stood by his side.

I waved at Rachel, the shy, exotic beauty, then waved behind her
at Jenny sitting on Evan’s lap behind his drum set. The two of them
were banging out some rhythm, Jenny giggling as Evan nuzzled her
neck.

Closing the door behind us, Kellan grimaced when he met Matt’s
eye. “Sorry…things have been coming up.”

Kellan walked us into the room. Being at Evan’s loft was almost
like being at a smaller version of Pete’s. There was a tiny
kitchen, a living room with one couch facing a TV, and a rumpled
bed in the far corner, a dresser and nightstand beside it. The rest
of the place was a stage. The guys kept their equipment here
between shows. Except the stuff they kept at Pete’s, of course.
Aside from Kellan’s guitar, which he chose to lug around from place
to place, the guys kept a second set of instruments at Pete’s on a
daily basis. It was well known in the bar that touching their stuff
on stage resulted in immediate eviction from the premises.

Here at Evan’s, they had the sound equipment, Evan’s full drum
set, Griffin’s bass guitar, and Matt’s guitar. With all of their
instruments currently waiting for them beside plugged-in
microphones, they just needed some spot lights and a couple of
bouncers, and they could do a professional show from here. They
were even working on enclosing the instruments with soundproof
walls, so they could record themselves and release an album. They
had the walls constructed, but not assembled; they were leaning
uselessly against the wall behind Evan’s drums. I knew Matt really
wanted to finish the project, but Bumbershoot, and now the tour,
had put it on hold. I was pretty sure when they came back, it would
be a top priority.

Kellan set his guitar case on a kitchen counter, propping it
open. I smiled at a picture of the two of us tucked away inside the
lining. As he pulled out his most prized possession, aside from his
car, Griffin walked up and smacked him on the back. “Yeah, I know
what’s been…up.”

Twisting to face me, Griffin’s eyes locked straight onto my
hips. It was horrid, having him stare at me like that, knowing that
in his mind…right now…we were having sex. With my hands, I hid as
much of my body as I could; his smile widened.

Finally noticing that Griffin was mentally assaulting me, Kellan
frowned and smacked him across the back of the head. “Don’t
eye-fuck my girlfriend, Griffin.”

Sniffing indignantly, Griffin shrugged. “What? A fella can’t
daydream anymore?” Kellan rolled his eyes and walked away. Griffin
turned backed to me, sneering devilishly as he pointed to his head
and whispered, “Later.”

I felt like taking a shower.

Quickly turning my back on Griffin, I walked over to where
Rachel and Jenny had gathered. Forming a sort of band-wives club,
we kneeled on the couch and leaned over the back to cheer on our
men from the front row of our very private concert. Watching Kellan
converse with Matt and Evan, while Griffin picked up Matt’s guitar
and started rocking out like he was Slash, I sighed softly. I’d
miss this when they were gone.

Rachel and Jenny both sighed right after me. Looking over at the
two of them, I watched them watch their men, their loves. Jenny had
been tearful when I’d met up with her after the announcement that
the band was going on tour. She was excited for Evan to go, but she
didn’t want to be apart from him, anymore than I wanted to be apart
from Kellan. She didn’t seem worried at all about Evan straying,
though. Her confidence in his faithfulness was inspiring. I wished
I shared that confidence. That was something I’d had with Denny. A
nearly unbreakable faith that he’d never, ever cheat on me. It was
a comfort that had somehow slipped away from me once I’d cheated on
him. Now, I sort of felt like anybody could do anything to anyone.
It was a horrible feeling to have.

Rachel looked over at me, her deeply tanned skin looking a
little pale “I can’t believe they’re leaving Saturday.” She shook
her head and shrugged. “Where did the time go?”

I sighed again, knowing I’d thought the exact same thing
earlier. “I know…” I looked back to the guys. Kellan had slung his
guitar across his chest and was nodding at Matt while Matt mimed
guitar chords in the air. Evan watched the two, occasionally
nodding. Griffin was tuning them all out, bowing to his imaginary
crowd. Shaking my head, I muttered, “It seems like just yesterday
that we watched them play Bumbershoot.”

Jenny sighed, sitting back on her heels. “Matt’s having a going
away party at his place after their performance Friday night.” She
sighed again, forlornly. “Their last performance.”

I swallowed as I looked over at her. Her eyes were just as
glassy as mine felt. It was so hard to let people live their
dreams, especially when those dreams took them thousands of miles
away.  Nodding, I leaned over and hugged Jenny. She hugged me
back, sniffling a little. Rachel’s arms circled around the both of
us and we had a moment of left-behind-girlfriend pity. It was
interrupted by soft chuckling in front of us.

As we broke apart, we all looked up at Kellan, smirking as he
looked down at us. “Group cuddling…and I wasn’t invited?” he asked,
raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Jenny and Rachel giggled and I smacked him in the stomach.
Chuckling a little harder, he grabbed my hand and pulled me across
the couch into his body. I squealed, but his lips came down to mine
and I instantly stopped. Forgetting that everyone was around, I
closed my eyes and tangled my fingers in his drying hair.

Losing myself in the moment, I moaned a little when his tongue
brushed against mine. Nervous giggles met my ear, but I somehow
didn’t care. I only snapped out of it when I heard someone shout,
“Hey? We playin’…or screwing the girls?”

Kellan and I separated and both looked over at Griffin grinning
mischievously. Grabbing his pants, Griffin shook his head. “I’m
cool either way, I just need to know which instrument to pull
out.”

Kellan frowned and stood up straight. I flushed bright red and
laid my head down on the couch. Jenny and Rachel laughed, Jenny’s
hand sympathetically patting my back. From above, I heard Griffin
being hit hard. Smiling, I peeked my head up in time to see Griffin
flip Kellan off with one hand while massaging his arm with the
other. Kellan stifled a smile as he took his spot behind his
microphone. Locking gazes with me, he waited while Evan tapped out
an intro.

Matt and Evan started the song perfectly, their instruments
filling the space around us. The room vibrated with power and
energy and I giggled, loving it. Kellan smiled, watching me enjoy
what he also enjoyed. Griffin joined in a few beats later, Kellan
joining the fray last. With all of their sounds mixing and surging
perfectly, Kellan started to sing.

He was perfect. He elongated words and phrases effortlessly. He
sucked in quick breaths suggestively. His voice was clear, strong,
pitch-perfect…amazing. I could listen to him sing all day long. If
I had an iPod with him on it, it would be on endless repeat. The
song was a newer one that they were putting together. It was nearly
ready, and Matt wanted to include it on the tour. Their first
performance of it would be Friday night, as sort of a thank you to
the diehard fans that had stuck with them from the very
beginning.

Matt worked the rehearsals around everyone’s schedules, so
sometimes they played later in the evening, when I was working. But
I always tried to make it when they were rehearsing before my
shift. I just loved watching the creative process. I’d watched
Kellan write the lyrics in his kitchen over coffee. I’d watched him
and Evan and Matt shuffle through the melody at the bar. It was so
amazing to me, to watch an idea in someone’s head blossom into a
powerful song of breaking through a crossroads and coming out the
other side stronger. It was a beautiful piece. I liked to think
that the song was somehow about us.

When they got to the chorus, Kellan frowned and stopped singing
mid-sentence. He looked over at Matt and eventually the other
instruments died out, Griffin stopping last. Matt frowned and shook
his head and Kellan pointed to his guitar. “What are you doing?
That’s the bridge, not the chorus.”

Matt sighed and raised his hand into the air. “Dude, that’s what
I’ve been saying. You’re so spacey lately.” He pointed back to
Evan. “Since you’ve been missing rehearsals and leaving us without
a singer, Evan and I have been tweaking the music. We flopped the
two sections and it sounds about a million times better.” Frowning,
he stuck his hand on his hip and shook his spiky head. “And you’d
know that if you were around more.”

Raising his hands submissively, Kellan backed off. “Fine, dang,
just asking.” Looking between Evan and Matt, Kellan sighed. He
quickly glanced at me before returning his eyes to Matt. “I’m
sorry, okay, but I’m here now and I’m committed to this, so
just…fill me in, alright?”

Matt scrunched his lips together, but nodded. “Any other changes
I should know about?” Kellan asked, shrugging.

Matt started to shake his head, then tilted it to the side. “Oh,
well, we added a solo for me before the last chorus.” He smiled,
just slightly, and raised a pale eyebrow at Kellan.

Kellan looked away, a small smile on his lips too. Chuckling a
little, he shook his head. “I guess that’s what I get for being a
flake.” Settling his eyes on me, he smiled a little wider. “Worth
it though,” he muttered to me, then louder to the guys, “Okay, back
to where we left off.”

They finished the song with no more interruptions from Kellan,
and Matt reveled in his new mini-solo while Kellan shook his head,
amused. At the end of the song I had to agree with Matt, the
changes were small, and someone not in the know probably wouldn’t
notice, but overall the song did sound better. They were going to
rock Friday.

When the guys were finished for the day, it was time for Jenny
and me to start our shifts. The guys followed us over, eager to
relax with a beer after their “hard” day at work. I had to roll my
eyes as I handed it to them. Sometimes I got jealous over how easy
their lifestyle was—drinking, partying and playing music all night,
staying up late, being swarmed by fawning females—but I saw how
seriously they took it, and knew how hard they worked behind the
scenes to keep their success going.

Truly, their job was probably as taxing as mine. At least mine
had a definite ending time, theirs was sort of twenty-four seven. A
fact that was reaffirmed for me when a couple of college girls got
up the nerve to approach their table later in the evening. They
chatted with the fans amicably. Kellan politely brushed off the
blonde one’s affections and shook his head when she nodded to the
front doors and raised her eyebrows in a clearly sexual way.

 I frowned, watching the display and wanting to
“accidentally” dump my tray on her. No, aspects of their job were
never-ending…unfortunately.

After getting chastised by Matt for missing practices, Kellan
was diligent in not missing any more. Unfortunately, things worked
out so that I couldn’t go to another rehearsal, so I saw less of
Kellan in that last week then in all of the weeks previous. We’d
sort of been hovering around each other lately, blowing off friends
and easy-to-miss obligations to roll around in Kellan’s bed for a
few hours. It was inexcusable of us really, since his practice was
important and the few classes I’d skipped had been important. But
we’d needed the time together as each looming day brought our
separation to the forefront.   

So having that cycle of irresponsibility broken by Kellan, who
was suddenly being focused again, was a bit of a struggle for me. I
adapted though, throwing myself into work, school and friends. And
Kellan made our time apart interesting by trying out his new cell
phone. He’d interrupted me a few times during class by texting me
highly inappropriate comments. Most of them made my cheeks flush
bright red. Honestly, he was too seductive, even through
technology.

But eventually Friday was upon me at last.

There was feeling in the air when I woke up in my new spacious
bed, a feeling of goodbye. I woke up with Kellan’s arms around me,
my cheek lying on his chest. He was stroking my hair in a soft,
repetitive fashion, his fingers gently tucking strands behind my
ear, so I knew he was awake.

Stretching, I lifted my head and looked up at him. Midnight blue
eyes, deeper and more beautiful than the darkest oceans, stared
back at me. Smiling, he ran the back of his finger down my cheek.
“Mornin’,” he whispered.

Smiling, I leaned up to gently touch my lips to his. “Good
morning.”

We didn’t say anything more and I laid my head back down on his
skin and held him for at least another hour. He held me as I
tightly as I held him, occasionally kissing my hair. It was one of
the most comforting experiences I’d ever had, and I knew a part of
me would remember this morning forever, tucking it away to pull out
on a later day, when I was missing him so much I physically
ached.

After a fast eternity of bliss, it was time for me to get ready
for school. I grudgingly pulled away from Kellan, but he came with
me, a playful smile on his face. That impish grin followed me into
the bathroom, all the way into the shower. Trying not to be too
distracted by the stream of water flowing down the lean muscles of
his frame, I let him pamper and caress me. He lathered me with soap
and affection, touching me everywhere but refraining from turning
the moment into a sexual one. He only washed me and I in turn
washed him. It was comforting, too.

Once we were finished, the water turning chilly on us, he
wrapped himself in a towel and headed out to make us some coffee. I
smiled at the low-slung cotton riding just over his backside, and
quickly got myself dressed so I could rejoin that half-naked
body.

Dressed for my day in jeans and a few layered t-shirts, I opened
my door at the same time my sister did. Blinking sleepily, even
though it was well past eleven by now, she scratched her wildly
attractive bed head. “Hey, sis, you headed out to school?”

Nodding, hoping my sister didn’t decide to go to the kitchen for
any reason, since Kellan was still currently only rocking a
towel-skirt, I stepped in front of her line of vision. “Yeah,
pretty soon. Kellan’s taking me, so you can have the car
today.”

Anna nodded and yawned. She had the car most days so that really
wasn’t news to her. Stretching so that the tight t-shirt she’d
slept in rode up her bikini-clad hips, she nodded towards the
kitchen. “He in there? I should wish him a good show tonight.”

Hearing Kellan humming, I tried to block my sister’s vision even
more. She may not care if I’d seen her boyfriend in all his glory,
but I didn’t need her ogling Kellan in his. That was my job. “Yeah,
he’s making coffee.” When she smiled and took a step towards me, I
grabbed her shoulder. Looking down at her scantily dressed body, I
raised an eyebrow. “Would you mind putting on some clothes before
you go waltzing out there?”

Covering a yawn, she shook her head. “He doesn’t care, Kiera.
I’m like a sister to him.”

Sighing at the impossible beauty of the sexpot before me, I
shook my head. “Please?”

Maybe seeing my expression as I wistfully glanced over her
curves, she finally nodded. “All right.”

After she slinked back to her room, I darted into mine and
grabbed Kellan’s clothes. Holding the bundle tight to my chest, I
hurried down the short hall into the kitchen. Kellan was leaning
against the counter with his hands behind him, his glorious chest
on full display. I paused a moment to just stupidly stare at
him.

 His hair was a damp, disheveled mess, and water drops
occasionally dripped onto his shoulder. One drop followed the curve
of his collar bone before trailing over the elegant script of my
name above his heart. From there, the frisky ball of water rolled
over his pec, across his ribs, and straight down to the deep V cut
of his lower abdomen. It traveled that line quite a distance before
finally hitting the absorbent towel slung around his hips. It was
the luckiest damn drop of water on earth.

“Kiera?”

Kellan’s entertained voice brought my eyes back up to his highly
amused ones. Grinning crookedly, he raised an eyebrow. “See
something you like?”

Flushing, I tossed his clothes at him. He flinched at the sudden
move but managed to catch them. “Anna’s awake and getting ready to
come out here. Can you get dressed please?”

I said that last part forlornly as I glossed over his body
again. Lightly chuckling, he set his clothes on the counter and
watched me watch him. I bit my lip as another drop traveled down
his broad back. “You sure?” he asked, still amused.

Sighing, I took a quick glance back at Anna’s room. Luckily the
door was still closed. “Yes.”

When I looked back at him, he shrugged and unwrapped the towel
from his waist. In the middle of my tiny kitchen, he let the
material fall right to the ground. My eyes widened at the sight of
him completely bare. Kellan didn’t need to…um, glorify his manhood
with accessories like Griffin did. He was absolutely perfect in his
natural state. Flushing red hot, I watched him lightly shake his
head at me and very slowly grab his underwear from the pile. I
wanted to snap at him to hurry, and at the same time I wanted him
to slow down even more. Smiling, I knew this mental snapshot would
also come back to me when I was missing him.

When the last piece of clothing was over his body, I sighed
sadly and walked over to lace my arms around his neck. “I’m gonna
miss you,” I murmured, shaking my head at him.

He smiled, lacing his arms around my waist. “I’m gonna miss you,
too.”

We were softly kissing when my sister entered the room. “Damn
it, was he in a towel?”

I looked over at my sister frowning playfully, pointing at the
evidence piled on the floor. Grinning, I laid my head on his chest.
“Yes, sorry, you missed the peep show.”

Sighing dramatically, she reached into the cupboard next to us
and grabbed a few coffee mugs. “I always do,” she muttered, handing
one to me, then Kellan.

Laughing and shaking his head, Kellan disengaged himself from me
so he could pour everyone coffee from the pot that had just
finished brewing. When he handed a full one to Anna she politely
thanked him. Taking a small sip, she raised her eyebrows at him.
“Hey, good luck at your show, Kellan. I’m gonna get off work a
little early so I can catch the tail end of it.”

Kellan nodded and smiled, handing me a cup with room for creamer
in it; I couldn’t stand black coffee like he and my sister could.
“Thanks, Anna. I’m glad you’ll be able to make it to this one.”
Smiling at me, he poured a final cup for himself. “It should be
good.” He shrugged casually, like it was just another show and not
his farewell show.

I bit my lip to stop the stinging sensation building in my eyes
as I poured a good helping of flavored creamer into my mug. I
didn’t want to get emotional over the fact already. There would be
time for tears later, I was sure. Anna sighed, the sound matching
my mood. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything, Kellan.”

She gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder then left us so we
could have one last peaceful morning together with our cups of
coffee. And it was the most comforting of all.

After driving me to school, Kellan threw his arm over my
shoulder and walked me to class. The people here were finally used
to seeing him walking down the hall, since he walked me nearly
every day, but the girls still stared appreciatively. I’d
considered skipping today, so we would have all the time in the
world together, but Kellan had firmly told me no. School was
important, he’d said, and I’d missed too much already. Knowing he
was right, I’d reluctantly agreed.

Surprising me, Kellan walked me all the way into my classroom.
When he walked me over to a row with a couple of open seats, I
rolled my eyes at him. “I can handle this part. You can go…nap or
something.”

Chuckling adorably, he shook his head and, holding my hand,
walked backwards down the aisle with me. “I’m not walking you to
your seat.” Edging past a couple of girls staring at him wide-eyed,
he sat down and motioned for me to sit beside him. “I’m joining
you,” he said, smiling brilliantly as he crossed his arms over his
chest.

I stared at him open-mouthed. He’d teased about sitting through
a class before, but I never thought he’d actually do it. Kellan
wasn’t dumb or anything, but he wasn’t exactly the academic type.
He’d be bored out of his mind sitting here with me while the
teacher droned on and on about morality clauses in contract
agreements. Shaking my head, I sat down beside him. “All
right.”

Chuckling, he slung an arm over my shoulder. Looking over at
him, I raised an eyebrow. “No falling asleep.” He laughed a little
and stroked my arm with his thumb. Smiling, I added, “And no funny
business. I actually need to learn this stuff.”

Kellan rolled his eyes and made a pledge over his heart. “I’ll
be the perfect student.” Facing forwards, he muttered, “And if I’m
not, you can punish me later.” His grin was so devilishly
attractive, I had to look away. Unfortunately, I looked right
across the room at Candy.

She was sitting with her friends, her head turned all the way
around as she stared at the rock star sitting in on her class. Her
surprised expression nearly matched what my own had been. As I
leaned into his side, resting my head on his shoulder, her
expression relaxed into a neutral one. Rolling her eyes and
muttering a word that I could clearly tell was, “Whatever,” she
jerked back around to the front of the room.

I grinned and waited for my boyfriend to receive his first
college lecture. I hoped he liked it.

In a way that surprised me, Kellan
was
the perfect
student. He listened enraptured, even leaning forward a little.
During a discussion period, he even piped up with a couple of well
thought out questions. I smiled as he got into a debate with a guy
a few rows down from us. Kellan’s side of the argument was much
more persuasive, and the legitimate student in the room conceded to
it by the end. The professor commended Kellan on his points, then
tilted his head like he was trying to place who Kellan was…and if
he was actually a student. Eventually he gave up trying to figure
it out and dismissed the class for the day.

I was very proud of my boyfriend as we left the room. Given
another life, he probably would have done really well here.

Kellan was ear-to-ear smiles and I clenched his hand, loving
that he’d loved it so much. Everything was going great, until he
walked past a group of giggling girls. Feeling bold, they stepped
right in front of us, blocking our exit. Still on cloud nine,
Kellan smiled at the group. “Ladies?” he asked politely, tilting
his head.

They giggled even more at being addressed. I wanted to sigh and
roll my eyes. There was something about him that turned mature,
educated, enlightened women into fifteen-year-old school girls. I’d
seen it happen way too often.

The boldest of the group stepped forward. “You’re Kellan, right?
We just love your band.”

Nodding politely, an odd expression passed Kellan’s face as he
studied the group of women assembled before him. It was something
that the girls probably wouldn’t notice, but I did. It was almost
like he was trying to place a name with a face. Throwing on an
effortless grin, he smoothly said, “I’m glad to hear you enjoy us.
Our last show is tonight at Pete’s.” Leaning in, he raised an
eyebrow at them. “I hope you guys can make it.” His tone was so
suggestive that I actually raised my own eyebrow. I was used to him
flirting a little with them, but sometimes he took it just a bit
too far.

They, of course, ate it up. Kellan smiled as he flicked his eyes
over the group. He kept looking at one in the back and I curiously
started examining her too. She was biting her lip and eyeing him in
an intimate way, a way that clearly said she was a step above the
other fawning fans around. It was a look I’d seen before on women
who’d approached him, or sometimes even shown up at his place. It
was the look of a woman who’d shared a bed with him before, and
probably wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with him again.