Reckless (43 page)

The energy of the fans around me made me a little nervous as I approached the rock stars. That was ridiculous of course, since I’d seen all of them in their snoring, burping, and farting
glory, but there’s something to be said for mob mentality. Deacon gave me a swift smile as I passed by him, and a small sliver of embarrassment flashed through me as I again remembered this
morning. Oh well. It happened, no point in dwelling on it. When I got to Evan, he looked like he wanted to sling his arms around me and pull me into a bear hug. He didn’t, though. The
tittering girls around me would take that display of affection as a free-for-all on the bands. Someone would surely get trampled—probably me.

Griffin was next in line and my nerves went up in smoke as he licked his lips, then kissed the air in front of me. I had to laugh at the display. He was crude as always, but not as bad as
I’d once believed. When Anna stepped in front of him, bumping me into the crowd of people waiting for Kellan, Griffin held his hands out. “Whoa, hot pregnant chick, I need a pic with
you.”

Anna rolled her eyes at him, but played along and pulled a small camera out of her bag. “I did come prepared,” she murmured.

Griffin raised his eyebrows at her in a suggestive way that used to make my skin crawl. “I bet you always come . . . prepared.”

Letting out a husky laugh, Anna rubbed her belly. “Except for one time.”

Griffin’s eyes softened as they shifted to his child. “Lucky fucker, whoever the father is.”

With a snort, Anna told him, “He
is
a fucker”—she shrugged nonchalantly—“but I love him.”

No one else in the crowd understood the enormity of what had just transpired but me. My heart was pounding in my chest as I watched my sister stare down Griffin. He met her gaze, swallowing
uncomfortably. He was about to answer her when the fans behind Anna started getting restless. “Just take your damn picture!”

Shrugging, Anna sighed, handed me her camera, and stepped beside him. Griffin seemed a lot less cocky as he looked down at Anna. He didn’t even put his arm around her, or stick out his
tongue and make devil’s horns, like he had with some of the other fans. He just gazed down at her, shocked into silence. I never thought I’d see the day.

I was still stunned by the time I got to Kellan. He was doing joint photographs with Sienna, which surprised me some. The pair weren’t touching, but Sienna gazed at Kellan while the fan
squished between them beamed into the camera. Then, at the very last possible second, Sienna scooted over and laid her head on Kellan’s shoulder. Kellan jerked away immediately, but it was
too late; the lucky fan had already captured the moment.

Stepping away from Sienna, Kellan let out a frustrated sigh. When he noticed that I was the next person in line, he blinked in surprise.“Hey,” he said, his expression playful.
“Is there anything you’d like me to sign?”

Glancing at Sienna, I shook my head. Brow furrowed, Kellan told me, “A fan begged. I didn’t want to be rude.”

I nodded, understanding. These fans had been in line a long time and were being herded past the rock stars like cattle. Kellan was just being nice, and Sienna had used that to her advantage.
Flicking a glance at Tory, who was busy ushering the fans that had completed the circuit out of the room, I motioned for Kellan to come closer. He leaned down to me, and I paused a moment to absorb
his captivating scent. When we were close enough, I pointed out the fan who’d given me her special memento. She was a couple of spots behind me, giggling as Evan showed off some of his
tattoos.

“She gave me something special. Can you thank her for me?”

He arched his brow in a delicious way. “What did she give you?”

“You’ll see later,” I answered with a smile.

Kellan nodded at me as I was pushed from behind by a rabid fan who had sneaked around my sister to get to Kellan. “I’ll see what I can do,” he murmured, his eyes brimming with
intrigue as I walked away.

My grin faded as I stepped in front of Sienna. Her smile was wide and polite as she acknowledged me. “Kiera,” she laughed, “you don’t have to wait in the line to talk to
me, you know.”

I know. And you don’t have to try and convince the world that you’re sleeping with my husband.

Even though I wanted to, I resisted the urge to say my thoughts out loud and instead smiled at her and politely left the room. I couldn’t talk to her. Not here anyway. Maybe if I could get
her alone, I could talk to her about how we could all work together to turn down the fire on her imaginary romance with Kellan. What the public believed was beyond ridiculous, and her fans’
devotion to this fake relationship was nothing short of zealotry. If Sienna would just say something, I was sure the heat between them would start to dissipate. But both albums were soaring up the
charts, so I knew she wouldn’t open her mouth. Wrong as it was, the gossip around them was financially benefitting them both, and Sienna was keeping her comments as ambiguous as possible:
“He’s a remarkable man,” “I love spending time with him every day,” “I’m in awe of his art,” and “He’s the entire package—looks,
brains, charisma, talent, and a body that would stop traffic.”

It was frustrating. I’d like to hold my husband’s hand in public without fear of some paparazzi person catching the moment and the fans going ballistic. I’d also like to feel
good about Kellan wearing his ring everywhere he went. And I’d really like to not have to worry about some obsessed Kell-Sex fan crashing my wedding next month.

After the meet-and-greet was over, Kellan pulled aside Underwear Fan and her friend. They both looked ready to pee their pants. Tory looked upset by the interruption to the
flow in her scheduling, but then again, the statuesque blonde always seemed a little upset. Flashing her an I-don’t-care-if-you’re-mad smile, Kellan ignored Tory’s displeasure and
treated the pair of fans to a private backstage tour.

Since I was Mr. Kyle’s “personal assistant” and had arranged this little tour, it would seem odd if I didn’t tag along, so I followed behind the fans. They were amusing
to watch. As Kellan walked in front of them, highlighting different areas, instruments, and people, the pair of fans clutched at each other like life preservers. And every limb on them was shaking.
I nearly expected one or both to drop to the ground in an overload of endorphins. Whenever Kellan looked at them directly, tiny squeaks escaped their lips, followed by a burst of uncontrollable
giggles. Was I ever
that
nervous around Kellan? I didn’t think so.

Kellan ended the tour by hopping up onto the stage from the front of it. He extended his hand down to help the fans up and they both turned a sickly shade of white. I tensed, preparing to catch
one if she fainted. Good Lord, he was just a man—an incredibly attractive and talented man, but a man nonetheless.

Laughing at their reaction, Kellan pulled them onto the stage and then reached down for me. Lower than they could hear, he asked, “Need a hand, Mrs. Kyle?” His eyes sparkled with
mischief.

Shaking my head, I hopped up on the stage by myself. “I got it, Mr. Kyle.” Standing beside him, I added, “Besides, I think you need to keep both hands free in case one of those
girls passes out and falls off the stage. I wouldn’t want you to get sued.”

I pointed behind him at where the girls were giggling, hands over their mouths, as they openly ogled Kellan’s backside. He looked back at them, and two harmonious high-pitched squeals
filled the stage as they started hopping around like jumping beans.

Kellan looked back at me, cocky amusement infused into his lopsided grin. “I’m glad you don’t squeal when I look at you.” He leaned in, his arm brushing mine. “I
like having to earn it,” he whispered.

He turned his attention back to the fans as my lips parted and my cheeks flamed. I had to fan myself to cool my heated skin. Written or spoken, Kellan sure had a way with words.

Just when the private tour was wrapping up, Sienna popped onto the stage. I noticed her bodyguards nearby, watching her from a respectful distance. The two fans went into a swirl of excitement
as the megastar approached them. Sienna was already dressed for the show, wearing the skintight jumpsuit that exposed most of her tan back. Her hair was slicked back into a sleek ponytail,
highlighting her slim neck and perfect cheekbones. She seemed like a Greek goddess as she stepped near my Adonis—a pair of beautiful, mythical creatures brought to life.

The fans whipped out cameras from their pockets as the golden couple came close enough to each other that they were in the same frame. Sienna flashed them an Oscar-worthy smile as she motioned
over to a couple of the arena’s security team that were waiting nearby. “It’s time, love.” Her accent, warm and husky, hinted at all sorts of things that it could be time
for.

As Kellan opened his mouth to respond to her, the fans finally found some courage. Babbling, they gushed, “We adore you so much, Sienna. You’re amazing. And we think it’s so
awesome that you and Kellan fell in love while recording a song together. They should make a movie about you two.”

Sienna beamed and immediately replied, “I would love that! I could even play myself!” Flashing Kellan a mischievous grin, she giggled with the girls like they were all at a sleepover
together.

As Kellan was politely informing the fans that he was not in a relationship with Sienna, the security team arrived and ushered the girls off of the stage. They pouted like preteens as they were
escorted away from the superstars. I thought I even saw tears in the eyes of one of them. And it was clear by the fans’ faces that they hadn’t believed Kellan’s oft-repeated
denial. Two more victims of the Kell-Sex publicity machine.

Rolling my eyes, I followed Kellan down the back of the stage as he left it. Members of the crew were milling about with final preparations for the show in a couple of hours, but no one paid us
any attention. The thrill of being amongst rock stars was lost on these professionals. I found their presence grounding.

Kellan rounded on Sienna. “We need to talk,” he snarled, his face stony.

Looking unaffected, Sienna responded with, “Sure thing, love.” She motioned with her finger for us to follow her. Then she started heading toward her dressing room without even
bothering to see if we were. Definitely a woman used to people obeying her.

Still not looking at us, she disappeared into her assigned room. I put a hand on Kellan’s chest when we got to her door. His jaw was tight when he looked down at me as I told him,
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with her alone, woman to woman.”

Kellan frowned, but nodded. Tilting his head over his shoulder, he murmured, “I’m gonna go blow off some steam. Find me when you’re done.” A tight smile graced his lips.
“And don’t feel like you need to go easy on her either.”

I put my hand on his cheek, and Kellan swiftly kissed my wrist. My skin was tingling as he walked away. How he could still physically affect me after all this time, I’d never fully
understand. But I was very grateful.

Steeling my nerve, I walked into Sienna’s dressing room and shut the door behind me. Standing with her back to me, she started to twist around with a dramatic sigh. “What is
bothering you now, Kellan, dear?” When she finished her circle and her dark eyes noted the lack of my husband, she murmured, “Just you, then?”

“I asked Kellan if I could speak with you alone.”

Sienna seemed amused by my statement. Placing her hands on her slim hips, she asked me, “Are you going to threaten me with bodily harm if I don’t
stay away from your
man
?” Her charming accent shifted to a deep Texan drawl.

Honestly, I hadn’t fully considered what I wanted to say to her. But variations of those exact words may have filtered into my brain in the last few seconds, only to be immediately
discarded. Violence wasn’t the answer here.

Knowing that any response to her question would put her on the defensive, I decided to ignore it. “Have you ever been in love?” I asked, my voice soft and disarming.

Sienna blinked, her long, fake eyelashes nearly brushing her cheeks. “I don’t have time for love . . .” The way her voice trailed off, I highly doubted her answer.

Feeling like I had something to work with, I took a tentative step toward her. “Well, Kellan and I
are
in love,
deeply
in love. We’ve been through a lot together,
and he’s been through a lot alone. And this ‘relationship’ that’s been produced between the two of you is very unsettling. He loves what he does. He adores the fans and the
music. But this hoopla is making him miserable. Don’t you care that he’s unhappy?”

Sienna stared at me impassively. I couldn’t gauge whether she cared about Kellan’s well-being or not. I liked to believe that she did. After all, they were friends sort of. Finally,
she raised a cool eyebrow. “I’m not hurting him in any way, nor have I crossed his line about kissing him on the lips.”

I sighed. She was going to make this difficult.

When I opened my mouth to speak, Sienna beat me to it. “I respect you for coming in here. I do genuinely like you and Kellan, but make no mistake about it: My career comes first, and I
will do whatever it takes to stay on top, even harmlessly flirt with a married man.” She rolled her eyes. I wasn’t sure if that was because of the harmless part, or the married part.
Both concepts seemed ridiculous to her.

I grit my jaw and prepared myself to storm out of the room. I knew that talking to her wasn’t a viable option. She didn’t care if Kellan felt manipulated and used. She cared that her
album hit number one. It had been released just a few weeks before Kellan’s, and had yet to reach that elusive goal.

“I’m sorry I’ve wasted your time. I just wanted to have a civil conversation with you about Kellan. Maybe come up with a solution so that everyone can be happy, since you did
say you wanted this arrangement to work. But I see that you only care about what
he
can do for you, so I’ll leave you alone so you can bask in your own glory.”