Reckless (15 page)

I was irritated at first, but then I let it go. Griffin had never been an attentive boyfriend. Hell, Griffin had never been an actual boyfriend. He was an f-buddy. He’d said so himself. I
thought he’d change once he knew Anna was pregnant, maybe grow up a little bit. But, as Kellan was always telling me, Griffin was . . . well, Griffin.

It took a while to get all of the luggage, but eventually we wrangled every piece and made our way to Kellan’s car. The record label was letting him drive one of theirs while the band
stayed at the house. It was a shiny silver Audi convertible. Anna openly fawned once she saw it, but I wasn’t too impressed. Kellan looked much better in his solid, sleek Chevelle. Kellan let
out a soft sigh as he got behind the wheel, and I could tell he felt the same way about the flashy car.

Anna was nearly buried in luggage in the backseat, since the trunk in this thing wasn’t overly spacious. But she didn’t seem to mind as we sped with the top down along the sun-soaked
streets of Los Angeles. Her smile was huge as her hair whipped around her. “I could definitely get used to this,” she murmured, resting her head back on the seat.

It had been a drizzly, overcast day in Seattle, which the residents there had actually been happy about—less risk of your house catching on fire by a stray firework if everything was a
little sodden. Here, the skies were a clear, bright blue. Well, I suppose the blueness was a bit tainted by the layer of smog hovering over the city, but it was brilliant and beautiful
nonetheless.

The air running through my fingers as I held them in the breeze was also different than back home—warm instead of cool. I took in the expansive, sprawling city in absolute awe. Everywhere
you looked, cultures and ethnicities were blended together. The lacing freeways and highways were more complex than any I had ever seen before, but Kellan seemed comfortable traversing them as he
led us to the heart of the city. My eyes were everywhere as I tried to take it all in. Kellan laughed at my wonderstruck face. I couldn’t help it, though. Los Angeles was iconic, legendary.
The size and scope of it was intimidating. There was a reason people were drawn to L.A.—dreams were made there and they were destroyed there. You could almost feel the pulse of life in the
tepid air.

Moving away from downtown, we began approaching residential districts. As we kept going, it was clear from the neighborhoods that we were getting into one of the more affluent parts of town. The
properties were spacious, the houses absurdly large, the lawns ridiculously green and plush; they were even nicer than the yards in Seattle.

As the houses became farther and farther apart, we turned onto a street that was closed off by a gate. There was a paunchy, older man in a booth overseeing the gate, and for a moment I had the
strangest feeling that we were crossing the border into a foreign country. If the man asked to see our passports, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

Kellan reached into his back pocket as he stopped the car. “Afternoon, Walter,” he said as he handed the man a card.

“Back already, Mr. Kyle? That was fast. And I see you picked up two beautiful young ladies while you were out.” He tipped his hat to me as he handed Kellan back his card and raised
the gate.

Kellan grinned as he revved the engine. “Careful, Walter. I might think you’re trying to make a move on my wife.”

Walter seemed abashed. “Wouldn’t think of it, sir.” He winked at me as he indicated the now-cleared path. Kellan was shaking his head good-naturedly as he pulled forward.
Laid-back in his sporty car with dark sunglasses covering his eyes, he already seemed comfortable in his new place. Then again, Kellan had lived in Los Angeles for an entire year after high school,
although he probably hadn’t lived quite so nicely.

As we drove past monolithic homes that probably cost more money than most people made in their lifetimes, I hoped Kellan didn’t want to settle down here. True, I’d follow him
anywhere, but this city just didn’t hold the same appeal to me that Seattle did. Everything here was just a little too flashy for me.

Like the house Kellan finally stopped at, for example. It was a contemporary, three-story home, with sandblasted white walls. There were large decks jutting out from the home, one on the right
side, one on the left, so each floor received the most unobstructed sunlight as possible. All of the balcony railings were frosted glass and shiny chrome, and even from the parking area I could
tell that the top floor had a pool on its deck.

It reminded me of a “party house.” The kind that you would see in a crude comedy about spoiled teenagers throwing a rager while their well-to-do parents were “abroad.”
The fact that dozens of beautiful, scantily clad people were milling about the property—with drinks in hand, despite the fact that it wasn’t even noon yet—didn’t deter that
image either. I frowned over at Kellan as a woman in a teeny weeny bikini walked past the front of the car.

He answered me before I could even ask him who all these people were. “It’s the record label’s house. Any artist on their label is welcome to come here,and some of them invite
guests. Actually, almost all of them invite guests . . . at all hours of the day and night.” He rolled his eyes.

That made me frown even more, because I’d always pictured him tucked away in a quiet, secluded spot, dutifully working on his album. I hadn’t pictured him staying at a frat house
while I’d been finishing up school. And I’d really thought that Kellan and I would have some much needed privacy here. It looked like I was wrong.

Giving me an apologetic shrug, Kellan returned his sunglasses to the clip attached to the visor. He hopped out of the car and started grabbing Anna’s bags from the backseat. I helped him
while my sister looked around with approval in her eyes; she was in seventh heaven. With a wide smile, she locked her eyes onto a blond, blue-eyed man sporting an eight pack. “Oh, yeah, I
definitely could get used to this.”

My eyes zoomed in on the blond man’s counterpart. She was wearing a triangle top bikini that barely held in her curves; curves that were too round and perky to be natural. As she walked
past the car, the curvy woman gave my husband a onceover and husked out, “Hey, Kellan.”

Kellan nodded at her, then cast me a quick glance. By great effort, I kept my face smooth. It didn’t matter if he knew a bunch of beautiful blondes. I was the only woman who would be
sharing his bed. I did wish I couldn’t see her entire ass as she walked away, though. I mean, really, with how little she was wearing, she shouldn’t have even bothered with clothes at
all. She obviously wanted to be naked, and I was sure she probably would be at some point today.

Loaded down with luggage, the three of us made our way inside the spacious home. Everything was first class—the overpriced art on the walls, the leather couches dotting the room, the
Persian rugs lining the hardwood floors. Everything screamed money, and as a result, I was a little scared to touch anything. The half-dressed couples lounging around the home like it was their own
didn’t seem to share my reservations. They draped their bodies across armchairs, used coffee tables without coasters, picked leaves off of impossibly manicured trees. One was even smoking in
the corner. Rebel.

Ignoring them all, Kellan led us upstairs. There was loud music blaring outside. But it was much more subdued the farther into the house we got. Large panes of glass in the curving staircase
gave me a view of the central pool in the backyard, where the bulk of the people were loitering. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I saw Griffin in the mix . . . and that he had a bikini-clad
ass on his lap. Too distracted by the fineries around her, Anna didn’t notice where her boyfriend was. Not that she would care. Well, I didn’t think she would care, anyway.

When we got to the second floor, Kellan led us to a large living room. The way it was set up, it reminded me of a dorm: the main room was the communal gathering area, the door to my left was a
free-for-all bathroom, and the five doors along the perimeter of the curved wall were clearly bedrooms. A slider to the second-floor deck was straight in front of us. Evan and Matt stepped through
it as Kellan and I dropped our bags to the floor.

The blond guitarist was laughing and juggling a water balloon in his hand as he said something to Evan that sounded like, “Nice toss.” Evan shrugged, raising his tattoo-covered arms
in an adorable display of modesty.

Anna brightened at seeing our boys and looked behind them for Griffin; he usually wasn’t too far from his cousin. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I was pretty sure Griffin
was waist deep in half-naked babes. Sneaking a quick peek around the space, a thrill of delight went through me that no one but D-Bags appeared to be on this floor. The revelers must have been
keeping the party downstairs and outside. That was fine by me. Maybe Kellan and I would be able to have that privacy after all.

When Matt and Evan noticed us, their playful demeanors turned warm and welcoming. Matt gave me a brief embrace, then Evan scooped me up into a giant bear hug; my feet left the ground. After Anna
greeted them, she asked Matt, “Where’s Griffin?” A small pout graced her perfect lips as she rubbed her growing belly.

Matt glanced at Evan, then Kellan. I heard the question in his pale, blue eyes as he sought confirmation from his band mates:
Do we tell her?
It irritated me that there was a moment of
“guy code” camaraderie going on, but I decided not to be mad about it. The band had been together a long time. They’d been through a lot of hard times together, I was sure. They
were family, and family stuck by each other . . . even if one sibling was a jackass.

Finally seeing the answer he needed, Matt focused his attention on Anna. Indicating the deck behind him with his thumb, he told her, “He’s by the pool.”

Evan smiled and added, “Look for the annoyed one with sour milk dripping down his face.”

Matt snorted and held up his hand to Evan. “Damn fine shot, man.” The two boys high-fived and I glanced at the remaining balloon in Matt’s hand. It was bright pink, and now
that I was paying more attention, I could see that there was an opaque liquid inside it, not clear. Definitely not water, then. Milk? And not just any milk. Now that I was close enough, I could
smell the balloon . . . and it did not smell good.

A milk stink bomb? Ew. Disgusting. Good thing Matt and Evan’s victims were standing beside a pool. Even though it was wrong of me, I sort of hoped they’d nailed tiny-triangle-top
girl who’d openly flirted with Kellan.

Anna’s hand clenched over her belly as she realized just where her man was—partying with scantily clad women instead of helping her cart her bags upstairs. She looked infuriated for
a moment, then a pleasant smile passed over her features. Hand outstretched, she turned to Matt. “Would you mind if I borrowed that?”

Laughing, Matt handed the milk balloon to her. “Be my guest.”

Still sweetly smiling, Anna stalked out to the deck. Matt and Evan waited five seconds, then hurried after her. Kellan shook his head and looked down at me. “Want to see our room, or watch
Griffin be assaulted?”

I bit my lip. “Wow, that’s actually a really hard choice.”

Kellan chuckled and grabbed my hand. Leading me to the first door along the wall, he murmured, “Well, I’ve had enough of Griffin lately and not nearly enough of you.”

He opened the door wide and I gasped as I stepped inside. It was more like a studio apartment than a guest bedroom; it was about three times the size of our room back in Seattle. The walls were
painted a surprisingly warm shade of gray, with furniture in a deep, contrasting dark cherry. The bedspread was black with intricate silver designs. The sheets and pillows were crisp white, with
designs that matched the comforter, but in black. Silver and black lamps adorned the nightstands, and gray lounge chairs created a quiet space in the corner, perfect for reading or writing. A giant
flat-screen TV was fixed to the wall opposite the bed.

All in all, it was a very manly room, but it did have some feminine touches. A crystal chandelier was hanging in the middle of the room. Deep purple throw pillows were artfully arranged on the
bed, and a plush purple rug was lying at the foot of it. Tall pillar candles were positioned in clumps of three throughout the room, and a vase overflowing with white lilies highlighted an ornate
lowboy dresser.

The room was stunning, but that wasn’t what made me gasp. Kellan had taken bright red rose petals and scattered them over the floor and on top of the bed. The red seemed even deeper in
color against the black bedspread. Over the top of the red petals, Kellan had carefully placed a layer of white petals. Those petals formed a heart, and on the inside of the heart was a box. A
small, velvet box. My heart was surging as I stared at it.

Closing the door behind us, Kellan murmured in my ear, “Do you like it?”

I couldn’t answer him. I could only nod as I laser-focused on the gift waiting for me. Kellan pulled me forward, and the smell of fresh flowers tickled my nose in a wonderful way. I
slipped off my sandals as we walked so I could feel the silky petals under my toes. When we got to the edge of the bed, Kellan stopped and stared at the box with me. After another moment, he pulled
it off of the bed, careful to not disrupt the artful white heart. My eyes followed his fingers. Without a word, Kellan dropped to a knee. Even though he’d done this before, even though we
were already married in our hearts, the sight of him on bended knee made my eyes water.

Smiling up at me, he whispered, “Kiera Michelle Allen, will you be my wife?”

The tears in my eyes dropped to my cheeks as he opened the box. I was already nodding as I stared at the diamonds sparkling in the sunlight streaming through the window. The center diamond was a
large round beauty that gleamed with life as it refracted the light. A “halo” of smaller diamonds circled it, amplifying its glow, while a similar strand of diamonds lined either side
of the silver band. It was quite easily the most incredible ring I’d ever seen.