Thoughtless (33 page)

I looked back up to the stage. Kellan had casually tucked his light t-shirt into the back of his jeans. He had his back to the crowd, his broad shoulders gleaming in the stage lights; I thanked the fates that the scratches I had left down his back were completely healed, and not noticeable. I blushed at that memory.

He was talking to Evan, who laughed then nodded. Then Kellan spun his finger in the air twice and pointed at him and Evan started to play. I flicked a glance at Matt, who was shaking his head and smiling. He waited a few more beats, then joined in with Evan.

Kellan turned back to the mic, the crowd losing it again at his spectacularly defined chest. He took the mic in one hand and ran his other hand through his hair, the movement twisting his muscles pleasantly. Griffin started playing and I automatically flicked a glance at him. I couldn’t stop the laugh; he hadn’t hesitated in taking his shirt off too. Anything Griffin could do to get naked. Griffin’s body was decent, his tattoos intriguing to look at, but he came nowhere near Kellan’s perfection.

Rita, Kate and Jenny were all watching Kellan intently, and momentarily ignoring every customer, so I relaxed and decided it wouldn’t look odd for me to watch him either. Kellan started the song low and husky.

His voice sent a shiver down my back…well, I’m pretty sure it was his voice. The song quickly picked up intensity. The crowd loved this song, and their half-naked rock-god, and were quickly all dancing and singing along. On the chorus, Kellan would lean with the microphone over to one side and stretch out to the crowd, the move doing amazing things to his body, making the crowd scream even more.

Occasionally, Kate or Jenny would holler and they were both dancing at the bar, so I joined them and we all laughed. Pete ducked his head out from the kitchen and I thought he might get mad at Kellan for being shirtless, but he looked around the crazy-excited bar and back up to Kellan and smiling, went back to the kitchen.

Kellan got to a section in the song where the lyrics ask the question,
“Is
this all you want?” H
e put a hand playfully up to his ear and the crowd
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went nuts again in answer. Kellan laughed through the next couple lyrics; he was having an exceptionally good time. I laughed at his enjoyment.

My eyes naturally drifted down to the injury at his side. Even from this distance, I could see the pink line across his ribs; he would probably always have a scar there. His hand suddenly running across his lower abs and down the front of his jeans completely distracted me from that thought. It was a casual move, one he probably hadn’t even thought about, but…damn, that was hot. He was so hot. I blushed again as more intimate memories of that fabulous body popped into my head.

He got to the last section and Matt and Griffin dropped out, so it was only Kellan and Evan. Kellan’s voice was lower, the words more intense, and he locked eyes with me. “
I know there’s something here…I know you
want more. Tell me…and it’s yours.”

He only sang it once in that low intense voice, then Matt and Griffin joined back in and he picked up the volume, sweeping his eyes back over his adoring crowd. I sneaked a glance at Kate and Jenny, but they were laughing and dancing, and hadn’t noticed that part directed solely at me.

I thought for a moment on the lyrics. Maybe I should cancel tonight? It really wasn’t a good idea, especially after watching his incredible body moving on stage. I laughed and bit my lip. My sister should have come out this weekend; she would have loved this. Then I was suddenly very glad she hadn’t.

Finally the song ended, and Kellan took a small bow to very loud fanfare. He laughed and slipped his shirt back on - Griffin left his off. The crowd booed at their rock star covered up again, especially Rita right behind me, and Kellan laughed again and shook his head. Kate and Jenny giggled and went back to their customers. I watched Kellan for a moment longer, long enough for him to look back at me and smile breathtakingly, before jumping off the stage and instantly being swarmed by fans. My heart beat double-time as I finally brought my first-daters their drinks.

At the end of my shift, I grabbed my bag from the backroom and said goodbye to Kate and Jenny, who were just entering. As I walked into the main bar, I spotted Kellan sitting at a chair backwards, talking to Sam.

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My heart flew up into my throat; I was suddenly very nervous to be alone with this stunning man. He looked over when he noticed me and smiled warmly. His smile relaxed me enough that I was able to calmly walk to his table.

“Ready?” he asked casually, but with a huge grin on his face.

“Yep,” I managed to squeak out.

He stood up, chuckling slightly, and turning said goodbye to Sam. Placing a hand on the small of my back, he led me to the front doors, waving goodbye to a smirking Rita.

“Good show tonight, Kellan,” she said suggestively. He nodded his thanks to her and I swear I heard her mutter, “I’ll think about you later.” I blushed, but Kellan either didn’t hear her or was ignoring her. He grabbed my fingers once we were alone outside and led me to his car, lightly singing the last song he’d just done. His a capella version was beautiful to listen to, but I frowned at him.

He looked over at me and stopped singing, a charming smile on his face. “What?”

I put on my best pout. “Didn’t we have a conversation once, about the nature of your singing?”

He laughed and tried to look innocent. “What was wrong with that?” He pointed back to the bar. “I was fully dressed for nearly all of the set.” He scooted away as I tried to elbow him. Still laughing, he ran up to me and picked me up. I squeaked and squirmed, but he had me tight. He set me down, but kept his arms firmly around mine as we walked, locked together, over to his car across the lot. “I did that for Pete,” he laughed into my ear.

I stopped walking and he ran into me. I turned my head to look at him, surprised. “Oh……OH!” I hadn’t realized Pete would…enjoy seeing Kellan that way.

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He looked confused for a second, then the look on my face registered with him and dropping his arms, he backed away, clutching his stomach he was laughing so hard. “Oh my god, Kiera! No, that’s not what I meant.” He wiped a tear away from his eye and sighed. “God, I can’t wait to tell Griffin about that.” He started laughing again.

I blushed furiously, feeling rather stupid, and getting a little irritated at his enjoyment of my misunderstanding. He noticed my expression and tried to compose himself, but then giggled again, not able to do it.

“Ahhh…and you think
I
have a dirty mind.” He chuckled as he slipped his arms around me. I frowned and he puffed out his cheeks and blew out steadily, trying to stop his laughter.

Finally able to speak normally, he said, “Didn’t you hear the response when I did that? You watch, tomorrow the bar will be twice as full. He’ll have to turn people away. I did it to help him, Kiera.” He shrugged and rocked back and forth with me in his arms.

“Oh…well, I guess that makes sense. You bring in more people, he makes more money, you get more exposure, and I’m assuming more money as well…”

He grinned. “Something like that.”

I half-grinned at him and
his
breath actually caught. “I guess I’ll just have to allow it then.” Not thinking, I kissed his cheek and he immediately kissed mine back.

I blinked in surprise, but he only smirked at me. “If you get to break a rule…so do I.” Then he winked and pushed me towards the car.

“You’re awful perky tonight,” I said, as we got in the car.

He grinned widely at me. “It’s not every night that I get to sleep with a beautiful woman.”

I blushed, both at him calling me beautiful again, and knowing that he could pretty much have his pick of a half-dozen actually-beautiful women, who were probably more available than I was. What was he doing, wasting his time with me anyway?

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He started the car and then noticed my odd expression as I puzzled that out. “Hey, I said sleep, not fu-”

“Kellan!” I interrupted him, staring at him severely.

He stumbled over the word, quickly thinking up a new one.

“Fu…or…ni… cate?” He shrugged with an ‘I’m innocent, don’t hate me’

look.

I laughed and scooted over to sit against his side in the car, putting my head on his shoulder. We were silent for a moment, while he pulled out of the parking lot. Finally, I asked him a question rattling in my brain from earlier. “So…who is Evan in love with?” He laughed, his face breaking into a breathtaking grin. “God, who knows, could be anybody.” He looked down at me. “Why? Who told you he was?”

I frowned at his seeming lack of knowledge on the subject. “Jenny mentioned it earlier.”

“Oh, I’ll have to ask him.” He turned and looked back at the road. “I haven’t heard anything about it.” I frowned as I considered that, all the way home.

I crawled into his bed fully dressed. I actually put on an extra sweater, just in case, which he found greatly amusing. Then he laid his fully dressed body down on top of the covers next to me. I felt a little stupid about the whole thing. It was odd to lie in a bed fully clothed, and even odder for him to be on the outside. I considered telling him to just get underneath as well, when he suddenly rolled to face me, putting a leg casually over mine and an arm over my stomach. I decided then, that the more layers that were between us, the better. This really was not a good idea.

He reached across me and turned the lamp on his nightstand off. The instant darkness was overwhelming, and the sudden electricity in the air was immediate. All I could hear was our soft breath, and my obnoxiously loud sounding heart. I could feel him settle down in the pillows next to me, close, his arm and leg pulling me in tight, his head right
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beside mine, breathing softly in my ear. In was too much…too intimate. I needed a minute.

“Kellan…”

“Yeah?” His voice was low and husky in my ear. It sent shivers down my spine.

I resisted the urge to turn into him, to find his lips. No, not a good idea at all. “Could you please turn the light back on?” I could feel him chuckle, but I still couldn’t see him yet. I felt him reach across me again, and then the room was suddenly too bright, and I was blinking. Normalcy returned, and I no longer felt the overwhelming electricity between us that had been there, just a pleasant warmth at his nearness.

“Better?” he asked, almost playfully, as he settled back down on his pillows, snuggling up close to me again.

I stayed on my back and looked over at him, as he propped himself up on an elbow to gaze at me. His eyes were a warm, tranquil deep-blue, the kind of eyes you could get lost in for hours. I forced myself to focus on something else, and blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. “Who was your first time?”

He looked at me quizzically. “What? Why?”

I swallowed my embarrassment at asking him that, and as calmly as I could manage, said, “Well, you asked about Denny and me. It’s only fair.”

He smiled and looked down at the sheets. “I guess I did, didn’t I.” He looked back up at me. “Sorry about that…that really wasn’t any of my business.”

I smiled back. “Just answer the question.” I was so glad he had used that line on me now, since I was getting so much use out of it.

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He laughed and thought for a moment. I raised my eyebrow; he had to think about it? He laughed again at my expression. “Well…she was a girl from the neighborhood, sixteen, I think…very pretty. She seemed to like me…” He smiled and shrugged. “It was just a couple times one summer.”

“Oh…why, what happened?” I asked quietly.

He brought his hand up, to run his fingers through my hair. “I got her pregnant and she had to move in with her Aunt to have the baby.” I flipped over on my side to face him. “What!” He laughed and touched his finger to my nose. “I’m just kidding, Kiera.”

I pushed him back on the pillows and grunted at him. “That’s not nice.”

He sat back up on his elbow. “You bought it though. You must think the worst of me.” He sighed softly and looked sad for half a second. “I’m not a monster, Kiera.” His tone was serious.

I propped myself up on an elbow as well. “You’re no angel either, Kyle.” I smiled at him wryly, which made his smile return. “So, what really did happen to the girl?”

“Nothing so dramatic. She went to her school, I went to mine.” He shrugged. “Different paths…”

I looked at him, confused. “I thought you said she was a neighbor.

Why were you in different schools?”

He looked at me blankly. “We weren’t in the same grade.” I tried to comprehend what that meant. “But, she was sixteen…how old were you?”

He looked at me oddly. “Not sixteen…” he whispered.

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“But…”

“You should get some sleep, Kiera…it’s late.” I could literally hear the door closing on that conversation. I was still trying to figure out the math in my head. If he wasn’t in high school with her, then that put him at the very oldest, fourteen. It hurt my heart a little.

I brought a hand out from the covers and held his with it, and his warm smile eventually returned. We both settled back on the pillows and he reached out for me, pulling me to his chest. I sighed with contentment as I listened to his steady, slow heartbeat. He really was fine with this, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

He brought both arms around me, one hand stroking my hair, the other rubbing my back. It felt warm and nice. I smiled and nestled more into his chest. I felt him kiss the top of my head. Well, I guess that was okay, relatively safe…still pretty innocent. I ran my fingers along where he had been hurt on his side, and then lightly trailed them up his chest. Even with his shirt on, I could feel the lines of his defined muscles. I could also feel his heartbeat increase and he sighed softly as he pulled me tighter to him.

I pushed up to look at him; his face was still serene, and he was watching me adoringly. “Kellan, maybe we shouldn’t…”

“I’m fine, Kiera…get some sleep,” he whispered, still smiling softly.