Reckless (17 page)

Griffin didn’t get to say anything else. Kellan walked right up to him, placed both palms on his chest, and shoved him to the floor. He hit his ass hard, and the smile finally fell off of
his face. “What the fuck, Kell?”

Lips in a hard line, Kellan stared down at Griffin. I’d seen Kellan ticked off before, at other people and even at me, but I’d never seen him direct that anger toward his band. Well,
except for the one time that he’d gotten irritated enough at Griffin harassing me that he’d snapped at him to knock it off. This seemed different, though. He seemed . . . done, like
Griffin had finally crossed the line with him.

When he didn’t answer, Griffin rolled his eyes. “Relax, besides your ass, I didn’t see anything.”

Kellan pointed to the hallway that led downstairs. His voice low and cold, he told Griffin, “Grab your shit, and get out.”

Matt and Evan stared at Kellan, shocked. Even Anna was speechless. Griffin snorted and stood up. “Oh, come on, Kell.” He pointed back to our bedroom. “It’s not like I
knew she was here.”

As I heard my sister mutter, “Did you think we flew in separately?” Griffin sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Griffin had a handful of tattoos across his body, but for
some reason, I could not stop staring at one of a busty girl in a sailor suit straddling a sword. I guess it hit a little close to home at the moment. That, and I couldn’t quite look Griffin
in the face yet.

“Besides, you can’t kick me out of the band, dude.”

Kellan stepped toe to toe with Griffin, and the others tensed. Matt and Evan exchanged a brief glance, and I could almost hear the conversation in their eyes:
Okay, on three, you take
Kellan, and I’ll take Griffin.

“Why the hell would I keep you?” Kellan seethed, his eyes hard.

Not looking intimidated, Griffin smirked and relaxed into his hip. “Because I’m the shit, and you know it.” He gave him an innocent smile. “And we’re best
friends.”

Kellan closed his eyes and took a step back. Matt and Evan both relaxed their stances. Inhaling a calming breath, Kellan finally opened his eyes. “If I am anywhere with my
wife—
anywhere
—you knock and wait for permission to enter. Can your tiny fucking brain comprehend that?”

Griffin shrugged. “Fine, whatever, dude.” Shaking his head, Kellan turned around and grabbed my hand. Even though my cheeks felt flaming hot, I forced myself to smile at Matt and
Evan in a small token of appreciation for their earlier help.

Griffin, seeing that the heated moment was over, must have figured that all was right as rain again. Stepping up to Kellan as we walked away, he slung an arm over his shoulder. I could smell the
sour stench of spoiled dairy even from the other side of Kellan. God, Porta Potties smelled better. “So, can I show you who’s here now?” he asked.

Kellan grimaced at the stench wafting from the half-naked bassist and pushed him away. Maybe thinking Kellan was still angry, Griffin frowned. “Hey, come on, I’m sorry for barging in
on you, okay? I just got excited.” Grinning, he bounced on his toes, eager again. “I mean, how often do you get to meet a porn star!”

My heart sank as I began to get a really bad feeling about who was here. As Kellan furrowed his brow, Matt muttered, “She’s not a porn star, Griff. Stop calling her that.”

Griffin scowled at Matt. “Tomato, tomato, dude. She had sex on tape. I got off on it. Boom—porn star.”

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be more horrified by him, Griffin would find a way to prove me wrong. Ignoring Matt rolling his
eyes and Anna looking intrigued, Griffin focused on Kellan. “And she’s asking to see you . . . by name! Can you believe that shit?”

Kellan stopped walking and looked around the room. “Who the hell is he talking about? Who’s here?”

Evan scratched his buzz-cut head. “Uh, Sienna Sexton.”

Kellan’s jaw dropped. So did mine. Sienna Sexton was a huge celebrity—everyone knew her name. And not just for the reason Griffin had mentioned. Yes, an ex-boyfriend of hers had
leaked a sex tape, and yes, the tape was widely available on the Internet, but all of that aside, she was actually a very talented artist. She’d grown up under the spotlight as a child actor.
When she’d started maturing, she’d branched out into music. When the sex tape scandal had exploded, it could have killed her career, but she’d used the new provocative image of
her to shift her music into a more adult sound. She was consistently on top of the charts. And she knew my husband’s name . . . and wanted to see him. I couldn’t believe it.

Kellan looked between Matt and Evan. “Are you serious? Sienna Sexton?
The
Sienna Sexton? Why does she want to see me? How does she even know who I am?”

They both shrugged, then Matt told him, “Don’t know, man. She just came in with her entourage a few minutes ago and asked to see you.” He pointed to the ceiling.
“They’re waiting upstairs for you.” He glared at Griffin. “Which we were going to tell you about when you were done . . . giving Kiera . . . you know.” His cheeks
flushed with color as he gestured to my hand. “I like the ring. It’s really beautiful on you, Kiera.”

Mortified, I whispered, “Thank you.”

Still stunned, Kellan shook his head. Delighted, Anna walked over and grabbed my hand. She gave my ring a cursory glance, then squealed, “Holy shit, Kiera! We’re going to meet Sienna
Sexton.” Her emerald eyes sparkled so much I was pretty sure she’d forgotten all about the problem she’d wanted to kill Griffin for this morning.

I sighed, not sure if I was as excited about this as she was. Seeing that Kellan was finally listening to him, Griffin wrapped his arm around his shoulder again. “So, can we go
now?”

Kellan made a face like he was gagging. “You smell awful. Could you shower first?”

Griffin scowled at Matt again, clearly blaming him—and only him—for smelling like a landfill. “Yeah, just give me two secs.”

He dashed off to one of the bedrooms, and I heard the sound of a shower being turned on. I hadn’t had time to investigate yet, but all of the rooms seemed to have bathrooms with showers in
them. Kellan watched Griffin leave, then turned to Matt and Evan. “Let’s go.” He smirked, clearly amused at the small form of payback he’d just given Griffin.

As we were walking up the stairs that led to the top floor, Kellan picked a stray petal from my hair. I couldn’t contain my smile as he handed it to me. Palming the red piece of velvet, I
leaned over and whispered, “Were you really going to kick Griffin out of the band?”

Looking over his shoulder, Kellan murmured, “No, I just wanted to make a point.” He turned back, his expression thoughtful. With an adorable half-smile on his face he glanced over at
me and added, “Well, maybe. Do you want me to?”

I thought about that a moment, but then slowly shook my head. As big of an ass as he was, he belonged with the band. And besides, it wouldn’t help my sister’s situation any if her
baby-daddy was suddenly unemployed.

When we got to the upstairs suites, a matching set of bodyguards blocked our path. Wearing corded earpieces and sunglasses, the pair looked more like secret service members than pop star
guardians. Kellan looked between the two hulks blocking his path. “I’m Kellan Kyle, this is my band.” He indicated all of us. “Ms. Sexton asked to see us.”

One of the guards discretely squeezed something in his palm and told someone on the other end of the earpiece that Kellan was there. After a moment’s pause, the guard moved away and let us
all pass through. Walking between the mountains of muscle made me a little nervous. Tight security. I understood, I guess, since Sienna Sexton was pretty much on top of the world and must have fans
coming up to her at every opportunity. It made me wonder if that would happen to Kellan someday. Would he need Thing 1 and Thing 2 watching over him? Watching over me?

Lana, the rep from the label whom I’d met before when I’d wrongly believed that Kellan was having an affair with her, stepped up to our group. The woman, who could have easily
doubled for Halle Berry, nodded warmly at her recruits. “Kellan, boys.”

Kellan acknowledged her with a charming tilt of his head. “Lana.”

She swept her hand to indicate the looming space behind her. “Miss Sexton would like to speak with you, Kellan, if you’re free?” Lana gave me a knowing glance and I fought back
the flush threatening to creep up my cheeks. After being walked in on by Griffin, innuendo was suddenly a lot less embarrassing. Huh. Maybe he’d done me a favor after all.

The edge of Kellan’s lip curled up before he schooled his features. “Of course.”

Lana led us through a set of solid white French doors. I’d expected to see Sienna right away, but the only people in the room were a young couple pawing through a cabinet stocked with
liquor and a man in a suit patiently sitting on a couch, shuffling some papers in his hands. A pair of ornate double doors led outside to where I knew a rooftop pool was tucked away. The doors were
open, letting in the sunshine and a light, warm breeze. Another set of closed double doors led to what I assumed was the master bedroom. Was she in there? The thought of meeting a bona fide pop
star had my heart racing, and I squeezed Kellan’s hand.

As we approached the couch, the man in the suit stood and extended his hand. “Kellan, nice to meet you. I’m Nick Wallace, VP of Vivasec Records.”

Shock flashed over Kellan’s face as he shook the man’s hand. I was sure he’d met a ton of important people by now, but it was clear from his expression that he hadn’t met
someone this far up the chain of command. “Nice to meet you.”

As I was wondering just what the heck was going on, three people walked into the room from the outside deck. I didn’t recognize two of them, but the person walking between them was
unmistakable. Sienna Sexton. Physically, she was everything I would expect a celebrity to be—flawless olive skin, perfect bone structure, and from what I could see since she was wearing a
bikini, zero body fat. Her hair was smooth and straight, even in this heat, and fell past her shoulders in a perfect, black curtain. Her eyes were just as dark and were framed in expertly applied
mascara and eye liner; they seemed huge, like they took in everything. Her smile was warm and bright as she held both of her hands out to Kellan.

In a charming British accent, she exclaimed, “Kellan, I am so excited to meet you. I’m a huge fan.” Clasping Kellan’s fingers with hers, she leaned up and kissed each one
of his cheeks. She was standing so close to me that the hem of the sheer white robe she was wearing over her bikini brushed against my hand. She smelled like coconut suntan lotion, and her deeply
tanned skin seemed to glow with health and vitality. I’d only ever seen skin like that in moisturizer commercials.

When she pulled back from Kellan, she stared up at him with an expression of adoration and interest. It was an expression I was used to seeing on his fans, so I figured her statement was true. I
bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from possessively leaning into his side. His fans could touch him . . . even the ones that were rich, famous, and drop-dead gorgeous.

Kellan seemed at a loss, which was an odd thing to see on him. He was usually so at ease. “Uh, thank you. I’m a . . . huge fan too.” He smiled at her and I couldn’t stop
the momentary scowl that crept into my lips.
Huge fan?
I’d heard him sing along on the radio once or twice, but that was about it. Kellan’s preferences tended to run more
toward classic rock. But he was probably just being nice. He couldn’t exactly tell her,
Thanks, your stuff is all right.

Giggling, Sienna dropped his fingers and took a step back. I let go of the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Ah, love, aren’t you a sweet one.”

As Sienna’s hangers-on flipped on a TV and made themselves at home, Kellan introduced the rest of his band, sans Griffin of course, who was probably screaming at the linebackers in the
hall to let him in. Sienna greeted them politely, but only with a demure handshake. I guess her lips were solely reserved for greeting Kellan. Hopefully that was a onetime thing . . . otherwise I
may have to have a talk with the pop princess.

When the introductions with the band were finished, Anna stepped forward and grabbed Sienna’s hand. “Anna Allen, mega fan. You’re practically my idol.”

The two beauties smiled at each other, then Sienna patted Anna’s belly. “You due soon, love?”

Anna frowned for a second, then shook her head. “No, November . . .” Her voice trailed off, and I wondered if Anna was offended that Sienna thought she looked so big that she was
going to pop at any moment, or if the idea of her upcoming birth still scared the pants off of her. I figured it was a little of both.

Eyebrow cocked, Sienna looked back at Kellan. “Yours?”

Kellan glanced at Anna’s belly and shook his head. Placing an arm over my shoulder, he drew me to his side. “Mine.”

I smirked at him as I extended a hand to Sienna; my fingers were trembling, and I prayed she didn’t notice. “Kiera . . . hi.”

The smile slipped from Sienna’s face as she looked between Kellan and me. It seamlessly returned as she shook my hand. “Nice to meet you.” Her accent reminded me a little of
Denny. I made a mental note to call him soon, let him know that I landed safely. My dad too, for that matter.

Once everyone was introduced, Kellan asked, “You . . . wanted to see me?”

Sienna clasped her hands together. The move accentuated her ample cleavage and I couldn’t help but sigh; she was perfect there as well, even more endowed than my hormonally enhanced
sister. I wondered if they were real.

“Yes! I have a proposition for you. One I think would be in your best interest. Yours and mine.” Kellan didn’t seem any less confused. Sienna smiled wider and pointed at him
with her laced-together fingers. “I want you.”

I was just about to politely tell her that she couldn’t have him, when Nick finally spoke. “As you know, Sienna is the label’s largest star.” Sienna winked at
Nick’s praise. He smiled at her, then continued, “She’s been listening to your finished tracks, and she’s impressed, to say the least.” Nick splayed his fingers out as
he gestured to his “biggest star.” “We’ve been looking for a way to rejuvenate Sienna’s sound, add some kick to it.”