Wonderful, page 14
I pulled back the sheet, inviting her into bed with me. “I am ready to go,” I told her, my smile suggestive.
Her eyes swept over me before quickly darting away. “I’m pretty sure you’ll need to be wearing more than that, Kellan.”
Standing, I came up behind her and wrapped my arms around her towel-covered waist. “Not for what I had in mind,” I whispered in her ear.
A shudder went through her body, but she quickly snapped out of it. “You should get ready…and I need to figure out what I’m going to wear.” She suddenly looked forlorn.
I snuck my hand under the towel, placing it on her bare stomach. “I know what you can wear.”
The forlorn look disappeared as she twisted around and frowned at me. Mission accomplished. “Go,” she said, pointing a stubborn finger toward the bathroom.
“Yes, ma’am,” I grinned.
By the time I’d showered, dressed, and scuffed up and styled my hair, Kiera was still debating what to wear. Looking more than a little unhappy with her options, she finally settled on a long, flowy dress that I quite liked; it just…fit her right. With the loose waves she’d put in her hair, and the minimal makeup that emphasized everything I loved about her, she looked amazing. I told her as much, and for once, she didn’t argue with me. Just smiled and said, “Thank you.” I was glad she let me compliment her. She was beautiful, and she should know she was beautiful. All the way to her core.
We walked out into the living area when we were ready to go. Griffin was annoyed that he couldn’t come, so he ignored us. Evan wrapped an arm around Kiera and told her she was a doll. That seemed to remind Kiera about something, and she scampered back to the bedroom. While she was gone, I spotted something that reminded me of something. There was a vase of pink roses resting on a small table by the slider. There were fresh flowers all over this house, and they were usually roses. Seeing them always brought to mind the display I’d made when I’d given Kiera her ring.
Walking over to the vase, I plucked one of the petals. I knew Kiera was nervous about tonight, even though she was trying to act like she was fine. Rubbing the silky petal, I wondered if seeing this would make her think of our romantic moment, make her momentarily forget her nerves. Or it might remind her about Griffin walking in on us, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Nothing in the world could possibly be as embarrassing as that moment for her. In comparison, everything else was a piece of cake. So maybe Griffin had done us a favor after all. Not that I was going to thank him for it.
Chuckling to myself, I walked over to Matt. “Hey…you have a Sharpie in your room?”
Matt’s brows bunched as he looked up at me, then he reached into his pocket and handed me one. I smirked as I took it. “You just walk around with a Sharpie in your pocket?”
He shrugged. “What? It’s my favorite pen. Or marker. Whatever. They’re handy. I want it back,” he finished, pointing at me.
Shaking my head at him, I glanced up to see Kiera walking over to Evan with something in her hand. She gave him whatever she was holding, and they started talking. Since she was distracted, I returned my attention to the petal in my fingers. I was going to write I love you on it, but then decided on something cute instead. Working quickly but carefully, I drew an eye, a heart, and an animal that I hoped she realized was a female sheep. It wasn’t the best drawing, but the two of us were pretty good at Pictionary, so I had high hopes that she’d get it.
Stuffing the petal into my pocket, I handed Matt his precious Sharpie right as Kiera approached us. Not wanting her to think too much about that exchange, I grabbed her hand and began pulling her away. She gave Matt an I miss you message from Rachel before leaving with me, and I saw a light flick on in his eyes as he nodded and waved goodbye. From the secretive smile on his face, I had a pretty good idea where Matt’s night was heading. That was all but confirmed when I saw him stand up and pull his phone out of his pocket. Ah, my protégé. I was so proud of him.
Kiera’s nerves spiked in the car on the way to the restaurant; I could tell by the way she was ceaselessly bouncing her feet. I handed her the petal in my pocket, and she instantly relaxed when she looked at it. She peered up at me with eyes that radiated love, and my heart squeezed as I wrapped an arm around her, drawing her into my side. That look was all I needed. Today, tomorrow, or sixty years from now, that look would always be it for me. She would always be it for me.
Chapter 9
DINNER / DESSERT
When we got to the restaurant, Sienna’s bodyguard let us out of the vehicle. His fierce eyes scanned the crowd hovering nearby, watching for any sign of danger. It was weird to be around that kind of intensity outside of a bar. It made me miss Sam again. I should call Pete’s, have Jenny buy him a shot for me. I could easily picture the half amused, half annoyed look that would be on his face if Jenny gave him whiskey from me.
Smiling at the thought, I held Kiera’s hand as we followed Sienna toward the restaurant. There was a man in a suit by the door, holding it open as he greeted her. Sienna thanked him, but she paused a ways from the door and waited for Kiera and me to join her. I gently stroked Kiera’s thumb with mine as I smiled at her. She looked a little nervous as her eyes darted from the fancy restaurant to Sienna’s body-revealing outfit to the crowd of looky-loos watching us enter the building. I had to admit, that last one was a little strange to me, especially when I noticed that a lot of the people in the crowd had cameras out and were taking pictures of Sienna standing tall and proud as she waited for us.
Seeing that level of fame was strange, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that kind of attention would happen to Kiera and me one day, if random people would be taking our picture everywhere we went. It was a mildly disturbing thought. Sure, I was used to a small amount of fame and recognition, but nothing on Sienna’s scale. I had to wonder how Kiera would feel about it if it happened to us. She wasn’t big on being in the spotlight, so being ambushed by cameras all the time would be absolute hell for her. Maybe I could shield her from it…somehow. But then again…the odds of us being that interesting to people were really, really low. Even after doing a song with Sienna, we’d most likely still be a relatively unknown group of guys, easily dismissed and overlooked. And I was fine with that.
When we reached Sienna, she looped her arm around my elbow, attaching herself to my side. The photographers snapping pictures of her went crazy, shouting her name and asking her to turn their way. She ignored them. Smiling up at me, she said, “Ready? I’m starving.” I gave her a polite smile as I debated how to get her to release me. Pulling away or asking her to take a step back seemed really rude. Before I could think of anything, Sienna leaned around me, and said to Kiera, “You’re going to love this place. The food is to die for.”
I looked over at Kiera. She was smiling softly at Sienna, and she didn’t seem overly upset that the superstar was glued to my side. Annoyed, sure, but it was a resigned sort of annoyed, like she also understood that I couldn’t just shake her off. Figuring politeness was the best way to get through this, I let Sienna hold my elbow as we continued to the doors. Kiera glanced behind us and frowned as she spotted the photographers still snapping pictures. Her cheeks flushed with color, and I knew she wasn’t enjoying the aftereffect of being in Sienna’s spotlight. Not wanting her to worry about it, I squeezed her hand in two tight pulses. Her uncertain eyes flashed up to mine, and I gave her a crooked grin and a quick wink. Even more color flooded her cheeks, and she bit her lip and lightly shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her. I grinned at her response and pulled her into my side.
Sienna disengaged herself from my elbow to step through the door, patting the doorman’s shoulder in the process. Releasing Kiera’s hand, I rested my palm on the small of her back as we followed. The inside of the place was just as nice as I’d expected it to be: prim, proper, plush, and a bit pretentious. It made me feel like I was interrupting something just by being here. This really wasn’t my scene. It wasn’t Kiera’s either by the look on her face. I had a feeling, if I asked her if she wanted to go to The Rusted Pipe instead, she’d leap at the chance to leave. Sienna was certainly comfortable, though, a breezy expression on her face as she elegantly sat down at a linen-covered table.
Having dinner with Sienna was surprisingly effortless, and even Kiera seemed at ease around her after a while. Sienna was a good conversationalist and shockingly open and down-to-earth. She talked about the annoyance of maintaining a lean, fit image for the public, something that maybe wasn’t required of her, but was definitely encouraged by all those photographers following her around. She talked about the pressure her parents had placed on her growing up in the business and how it had felt to be a constant disappointment to them. That was something I could relate to since everything I’d ever done had let my parents down in one way or another. Sienna even talked about her leaked sex tape, about how it had felt to have her ex betray her like that. She told me that this business required a thick skin, and I didn’t doubt it. Then she told me, “No regrets. It’s the only way you’ll survive in this town.”
There was something about the way she said it that made that strange sense of caution resurface. This was a woman who would fight tooth and nail to keep what she had—no matter who got in the way. That kind of ambition was both admirable…and terrifying. I only gave her a warm smile in response, though, because I had no intention of getting in her way. And really, once she left tomorrow, we’d probably never see her again.
Even still, by the time we got back to the house, Sienna felt more like a colleague than an unapproachable celebrity, and I could see us all hanging out again sometime. Maybe.
Sienna walked up the stairs with us, her bodyguard trailing a few steps behind. “Goodnight, loves,” she said at our floor. She smiled at both of us for a moment, then she leaned up and lightly kissed my cheek.
I had no idea if that was a custom thing or a flirting thing. I also had no idea if saying something to her was rude or not. I tried to school my features, but I could feel myself fighting a frown. Kiera’s hands on my arm tightened a little as she said, “Have a good flight tomorrow, Sienna.”
Sienna tossed an untroubled grin Kiera’s way. “Thank you. It was lovely to meet both of you.” Her eyes shifted to me, and there was a glint in them that was both familiar and completely foreign, like she was hitting on me yet being completely professional at the exact same time. Not being able to completely decipher her intentions was a little disorienting, to be honest. I didn’t like it.
Sienna continued upstairs, and Kiera let out a sigh as she pulled me toward our living room here at the house. “Did you have fun?” I asked her, a bit of trepidation in my voice.
Kiera heard the uncertainty and looked up at me with a small frown on her face. She glanced back at where Sienna had left us, then she sighed again and forced a smile to her face. “Yes…that place was a little ridiculous, but yes, I had a good time.”
I laughed at her assessment of the restaurant, relieved that she wasn’t too upset over the cheek kiss. “I agree. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the food was good and all, but it was a little stuffy for me. And damn if I’m not still hungry.” I could have eaten about three more plates of what they’d served us…but not at their prices.
Kiera giggled, her hand going to her stomach. “Me too.” She stopped walking and turned to face me. “I’ll go make us some sandwiches. Back in a minute.” She softly pressed her lips to mine in a brief kiss. Pulling back a little, she studied my face, then she returned her mouth to me and kissed me with a vengeance. She even grabbed my neck and held me to her—like I wanted to be anywhere else but attached to her. Her tongue brushed mine and a groan escaped me. I suddenly wasn’t hungry…for food.
When she finally pulled away from me, we were both breathing heavier, and my hands were on her waist, my fingers digging into the fabric of her dress as I restrained myself from ripping it off her. Or ripping it to shreds. Kiera’s eyes were glazed as she looked me over, and I had to fight the desire to grab her neck this time and pull her back to me. “Be right back,” she whispered. Then she bit her lip and minutely moved toward me before turning on her heel and dashing away.
Well, damn.
My body was surging with white-hot, desperate energy as I watched her leave. Then someone in the room cleared their throat. Shaking the desire off my face, urging my body to calm down, I looked over to the couch where Matt, Evan, Anna, and Griffin were sitting, watching a movie. Or at least, they had been watching a movie—now they were all watching me.
Evan smirked at me. “Good dinner?” he said.
I grinned at him in answer. “Apparently.” I pointed at the TV. “You guys might want to turn that up.”
Anna, Matt, and Evan chuckled at that. Griffin shot up off the couch and started walking toward me. I instantly headed for my bedroom, but he caught up to me. Slinging an arm over my shoulders, he secretively glanced back at the couch; only Anna was still watching. “Sooooo,” he said, drawing out the word for a couple of seconds.
“So what?” I asked, shrugging off his arm.
He glanced at the couch again, then lowered his voice. “Did you see her boobs?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He meant Sienna, right? Either way, why the hell would he ask me that? “We went out to dinner,” I stated, confusion and sarcasm in my voice.
Griffin’s brows bunched like he didn’t understand my tone. Or my answer. “Yeah, I know. So did you see her boobs or not?”
Tilting my head, I studied his face. Seriously? What kind of dinner did he think we went to? Because I couldn’t think of any other way to answer, I again stated the obvious. “We went out to dinner.”
He let out an annoyed huff as he tucked his hair behind his ears. “I know that. So did you?”
I debated leaving him standing there, looking at me with confusion on his face, like I was the idiot, but I was too floored by his question to let it go. “We. Went. To. Dinner.”
His light blue eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Why do you keep answering the same way? It’s a yes or no question, dude.”
I tossed up my hands. “No.”
Griffin crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing me from head to foot. Then he rolled his eyes. “You so did. God, I hate you.” He immediately gave me a devilish grin. “I want details later.”
With that, he turned around and walked back to the couch. I could only gape at him, mystified by the murkiness of his mind. Anna was laughing when I glanced her way, like she knew what he’d asked me. I shook my head at her, then pointed at him and made a circle motion by my ear. He’s crazy. She snorted at me, nodding as she placed a hand on her stomach. I smiled at her reaction. At least Griffin amused her.
After taking off my shoes and socks, I climbed onto the bed and relaxed against the headboard, waiting for Kiera to rejoin me. I hummed to myself while I rested, swishing my feet back and forth and idly spinning the wedding ring on my finger. Just when I was about to go downstairs and see what was taking her so long, Kiera toed the door open and stepped inside; a bright smile was on her face as she held a tray practically overflowing with food.
“You really were still hungry,” I laughed.
Closing the door with her heel, she shrugged. “Everything looked good.”
Kiera walked over to me, paused to slip off her shoes, then set the monstrous tray on the bed. She instantly got a thoughtful look on her face and darted back over to the door, locking it. Apparently, she wanted privacy tonight, and she didn’t trust that Griffin had learned his lesson. Smart. Her bold move would have made me laugh, but I was too distracted by the spread she’d assembled. As she returned to me, I stared in disbelief at the numerous little sandwiches nestled between clusters of grapes, strawberries, crackers, cheeses, and some sort of creamy dip. At the back of the tray was a bottle of wine and two empty glasses. Staring at the display made me wish we’d stayed in and done this all night. I couldn’t stop the image of licking that dip off her skin…running a strawberry between her breasts. My body hardened as I indulged in the fantasy.
Head still lowered, I peered up at her. “I don’t think I’m hungry anymore.”
Kiera softly exhaled as she took in my provocative expression. She chewed on her bottom lip as she scanned every inch of me. I could almost feel where she was looking, like her gaze was a physical caress against my skin; it made me ache. Leaning forward, I grabbed her hand and yanked her toward me. She laughed as her body collided with mine. Sitting up, I twisted my body and pulled her onto the bed. Her laughter increased as I leaned over her, circling my fingers around her wrists, pinning her under me.
She looked over at the forgotten tray beside us. “Kellan…the food.”
I kissed her neck, reveling in the heat of her skin. “What food?” I playfully asked.
She made a soft, erotic sound as my lips worked down her neck. “That food…” She pointed a trapped finger at the tray, but her tone told me she really didn’t care about the food anymore.
Smiling, I shifted one of my legs between hers. She sucked in a breath as my thigh pressed against her. “I don’t think it’s going anywhere,” I whispered, working my way across her collarbone.
“I had no idea snacks were such a turn on for you,” she murmured, her voice sounding light, airy…distracted.
A laugh escaped me, and I paused in kissing the hollow of her throat to look at her. Kiera’s cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of peach when our eyes met. She gave me a small, embarrassed smile, and shaking my head, I kissed her nose. “It’s not the snacks that turn me on, it’s the beautiful woman who brought them to me.”
Kiera sighed and lifted her head to kiss me. I indulged her in a long, luxurious melding of our mouths and bodies. I released her wrists, and her hands instantly smoothed up my arms and into my hair. My fingers ran down her side, over the ridges of her ribs, down to the curve of her hip. Our breath picked up as I pulled her leg over mine, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered that the movie in the living room was blaringly loud now. Perfect.
