Reckless (16 page)

Kellan was calm and relaxed as he pulled the ring out of the box. My fingers were shaking as he slipped the new ring on my left hand, above the promise ring that I’d been wearing as a
wedding ring. The two rings complemented each other perfectly, and I couldn’t stop staring at them. Kellan was chuckling as he stood back up.

When I felt more composed, I looked up at him and said the first thing that popped into my head. “You didn’t need to do that. My old ring was fine.” I cringed at telling him
that right out of the gate, but this ring looked pricey, and he didn’t need to spend that kind of money on me. He didn’t need to win me over—I was already won.

Kellan smiled and looped his arms around my waist. “Yes, I did.”

I shook my head. “Don’t get me wrong, this is . . . unbelievable . . . but I was content with the old band. You didn’t have to do this.”

Kellan’s smile didn’t change. “Yes, I did.”

“Kellan—”

He cut me off with his lips on mine. “Yes, I did, Kiera,” he murmured against my skin.

My eyes fluttered closed, and I dropped my pointless objection. It was his money, who was I to tell him how to spend it? As his arms tightened around my waist, my fingers tangled through his
hair. Our kiss deepened as the emotion of the moment mixed with the ache of our weeks’ long separation. It had been entirely too long since I’d been in his arms, and even though this
house was swarming with people, I suddenly didn’t want to be wearing anything but the new, shiny ring he’d just given to me.

Silently begging him, I pulled at his shirt. He understood and stripped it off immediately. I ran my fingers over his chest, delighting in the warm, smooth skin, the etched lines and valleys.
Leaning down, I placed a soft kiss over my name drawn above his heart. Kellan sighed and held my head to his chest.

I peeked up at him, and his eyes were closed. His expression was peaceful, happy. Wanting to see his eyes sizzle, I ducked down and ran my tongue around his nipple. Then I closed my mouth over
it and gently dragged my teeth across the sensitive skin. I was sure his chest wasn’t as sensitive as mine, but I’d read somewhere that guys enjoyed a little stimulation there.
Kellan’s eyes flashed open, and his smooth face morphed into a devilish, one-sided grin.

The pads of his fingers trailed down my back, barely brushing against me on their journey down my spine; waves of heat radiated from each point of contact. When he got to the bottom of my shirt,
he slipped his fingers under the hem and deftly pulled it over my body. His eyes locked onto my bra.

I was traditionally a very practical dresser, especially in the undergarment department. Your basic white or cream, full-coverage bras appealed to me the most. But my sister had started
interjecting herself into my wardrobe choices. Telling me that no one married to a rock star could wear a bra whose slogan was
Finally a Woman,
she’d taken me lingerie shopping.
I’d ignored her suggestions at first, since the scraps of material she’d tried to force upon me barely constituted a bra, but then she’d started showing me pretty, elegant pieces
that I actually liked. The one I was wearing now was a lacy, light pink, push-up bra. I didn’t have a whole lot of assets to begin with, but the bra took what I did have and squeezed them
together in such a way that it looked like I had a whole lot more. I’d say I was stretching our honesty pact by wearing it, but Kellan already knew my body well. I was merely dressing up the
package, or so my sister said. I couldn’t wait for him to see the matching underwear.

It took him a solid fifteen seconds to return his gaze to my face. When he did, his eyes were burning with the passion I’d wanted to see earlier. He chewed on his lip a moment, then shook
his head. “You didn’t have to do that,” he playfully told me. “I liked the old one just fine.” His amused smile grew as he used my words against me.

Laughing softly, I yanked on the waistband of his shorts, pulling his hips closer to mine. “Yes, I did,” I muttered, before attaching my lips to his.

He laughed in my mouth, but stopped when I unfastened the button of his shorts. He let out a low rumble when I slipped my hand inside. He was fully ready for me, his body hard against his silky
boxers. I wanted to feel that soft skin directly, but Kellan pushed me back onto the bed. Lips parted, his hooded eyes scoured my body as I sat on a sea of petals. Bending over, he grabbed the
bottom of my shorts and ripped them off of me. When he caught sight of the aforementioned underwear, he groaned. The light pink was slightly sheer, the straps over my hips embarrassingly thin.

Looking up at me with an expression that mixed both desire and irritation, he grumbled, “Are you trying to make this last about five seconds?” I laughed and his impish grin returned.
“You’re killing me, Kiera.”He kissed my stomach. “You’re actually killing me.”

As his lips wandered down my stomach, I began to believe that
he
was killing
me
; the ache pulsing through me was bordering on painful. Dislodging the beautiful, artful floral
arrangement, I scooted up the bed so Kellan could lie on top of me. Velveteen petals stuck to my skin as I reached out for him. His eyes softened into an expression filled with love and adoration.
“You’re so beautiful . . . do you know that?”

I felt my cheeks heat and I averted my eyes. I was . . . cute, sure, but a word like “beautiful” was reserved for my exotic sister. Kellan removed his shoes and shorts and crawled
into the bed with me. Lying at my side, he grabbed my chin and turned my head toward him. “Do you know that?” he repeated.

Since I had no words in me, I shook my head. Kellan sighed and ran his fingers through my hair. “Well, I do,” he whispered.

His lips returned to mine, soft, but fervent. He moved his hips over mine, and I cried out when we pressed together. The thin barrier of my panties between us amplified the sensation. Our kiss
grew heated as the fire within us stoked even higher. Breath fast, Kellan ran his lips down to my ear and murmured, “I love you.”

He rocked against me again, and I arched my back and closed my eyes. I wanted to tell him that I loved him too, but I was afraid that any noise I made right now would come out in a passionate
scream, and a small part of my brain was still cognizant of the many people wandering around this home. Instead, I whimpered and dug my fingers into his shoulders.

When Kellan unclasped my bra and ran his glorious tongue around my nipple, mimicking what I’d done to him earlier, all thought of anyone else being around left my consciousness and I did
cry out. Breathing so fast I was nearly hyperventilating, I discretely shoved his head down. He didn’t need any more direction then that. Wrapping his fingers around the slim straps of my
underwear, he yanked them off and continued exploring the southern region of my body. When his tongue swirled around my core, I screamed out.

He teased my body right to the edge of release, right to the point where I was panting and clutching at pillows, and petals were sticking to every section of my damp skin. He stopped before I
crested, and I ached with the loss. Kellan didn’t let me ache for long, though. Quickly slipping off his boxers, he moved over the top of me. He slid inside me at the same time he brought his
mouth to mine. “Oh, God . . . I’ve missed you,” I murmured as he filled me. Or maybe I shouted it, I wasn’t sure.

Kellan rested his head in the crook of my neck as he let out a groan of relief. “You never have to miss me again,” he panted. Then he started to move; there was nothing in this world
more wonderful than the feeling of him moving inside of me.

My legs wrapped around his as I clenched him tight. The feel of his muscles stretching and flexing as he held himself above me was deliciously erotic. His skin was just as moist as mine, and
somehow stray petals had found their way to his back. I wasn’t too surprised. If I were a petal, I would find my way across Kellan Kyle’s skin too. His breath was getting faster as his
lips worked their way up my neck. Even though I could feel his body start to shake, he kept up the slow, steady rhythm that was rushing me to a soul-shattering climax. The scent of Kellan mixed
with the light scent of sweat and flowers, filling my senses. I didn’t think I would ever be able to forget this moment.

Nearing the end, even though a part of me didn’t want to, I arched my back. I felt Kellan’s body turn rigid, his shaking increase; he was nearing the end too, but by the look on his
face, I could tell he was trying to hold off. I couldn’t. Closing my eyes, I tensed as the burst of euphoria washed over me. I cried out in a long series of moans as I rode out the bliss.
Somewhere near the tail end, I heard Kellan murmur, “Fuck,” and then I felt his release as he groaned in my ear. It only added to the pleasure racing through me.

Drained and satisfied, we slumped in each other’s arms. Once our breaths were somewhat normal, Kellan husked out, “Sorry, I was going to try to give you a twofer, but I
couldn’t hold out.” He lifted his head and raised an eyebrow. “I blame it entirely on the underwear.”

Giggling, I gave him a light peck. “If the first one is done right, I don’t need two.”

Kellan chuckled, and we languidly kissed as we cuddled, both of us now covered in stray petals. As Kellan picked off a few near my breast he murmured, “Give me a minute, and I can probably
change your mind about that.”

I was laughing at his answer when the door to the bedroom suddenly banged open.

I screamed and grabbed for anything that could shield my body. Kellan helped, moving over me so that all anyone would really see was him, which he didn’t seem worried about. Horrified, I
helplessly watched as my worst nightmare played out before my eyes. Griffin sauntered into the room. His expression was giddy as he beamed at Kellan. Maybe I was misinterpreting it, but I
didn’t think his happiness was from catching us post-coital. In fact, he didn’t seem to even notice that I was there.

Now I was positive I would never forget this moment.

Glaring at the person intruding on our very private moment, Kellan yelled, “What the fuck, Griffin?”

Bouncing on his feet, Griffin ignored him. “Kellan, you’re not gonna believe who’s here!” His shirt and hair were covered in white, curdled goo; he smelled awful,
overpowering the perfect rose aroma that had filled my love nest until just a few seconds ago.

Irritated, Kellan tossed a thick purple pillow at him. “I don’t care! Get the fuck out!”

Griffin took a step back as the pillow dinged him in the face. I felt red-hot, but Griffin still hadn’t noticed me yet. “Dude, you’re gonna care when you see her. Get the fuck
out of bed, lazy-ass!” It was only then that Griffin seemed to notice that Kellan had company. His smile growing, Griffin drawled, “Hey, Kiera . . . it’s good to see
you.”

He meant that in the most provocative way possible. I was sure that Kellan would’ve stormed over and decked Griffin if he hadn’t been busy using his body to cover the bulk of mine
from Griffin’s sight. Realizing he was sort of stuck, Kellan yelled, “Matt! Get your cousin out of my fucking bedroom before I toss him off the fucking balcony!”

It took a moment, but eventually Matt and Evan stormed into the room to remove their bassist who clearly had a death wish. I groaned and covered my face. Damn it! Now this really was my worst
nightmare. Matt and Evan were courteous enough to not look at us directly, but still, it was mortifying. As Anna peeked her head into the room, giggling, Matt and Evan dragged a protesting Griffin
out. “Dude, they can bone later! He needs to see who’s here!” Griffin returned his attention to us. “She’s asking for you, dude. You!”

Matt smacked him on the back of the head. “Remember what we said about giving Kellan some space when Kiera got here . . . because of that
thing
he was going to give her?”
When Griffin seemed oblivious, Matt hit him again. “Fucking moron,” he muttered, pulling him out of the room. “Sorry, Kell!” he yelled as he shut our door.

Mortified, I clutched at Kellan. “Oh my God! That did
not
just happen, did it?”

Kellan sighed and rubbed my back. “Unfortunately . . . it did. Sorry, I forgot to lock the door.” He chuckled. “I was a little preoccupied.”

I pulled back to glare at him. None of this was very funny. Remembering Griffin’s words—because how would I ever forget them—I asked, “Do you know what he was talking
about? Who’s here to see you?”

Kellan shook his head. “No idea.” He turned his head to the door, where we could hear Griffin and Matt arguing about Griffin’s complete and total lack of common decency.
“I suppose I should go see, though.”

Thanks to the layer of rose petals we were both wearing, it took Kellan and me a few minutes to redress. Kellan laughed to himself as he pried a few petals loose from my
hair—hair that I’m sure was a snarled, tangled mess that screamed to the world that I’d just had an afternoon delight—or late-morning delight, to be more accurate. Oh well,
things could be worse. The entire band could have walked in on us completely naked and exposed. Oh yeah, that’s right—they did.

I was frowning as I stood up and stared back at the rumpled bed. Kellan followed my gaze as he slipped on his shoes. Slowly standing beside me, he smiled, inhaled a deep breath, then kissed my
forehead. “Stay here. I’m gonna go kill Griffin.”

I instantly grinned and followed him as he stormed out the door. If Kellan was about to cause Griffin bodily harm, there was no way was I going to miss it. Griffin was on the other side of the
living room, as far from our door as his cousin could get him. He was partially undressed, using his T-shirt to scrub sour milk out of his chin-length hair. Matt and Evan were telling him
something, and Anna was tapping her foot. I was sure she wanted to berate him for giving her a boy but hadn’t had a chance to tell him yet with the other annoyances that had cropped up. How
one person got in so much trouble so fast was beyond me.

Griffin looked up when he spotted Kellan storming his way. A wide smile stretched his thin lips. “Dude—”