My spontaneous, erratic, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants sister arrived with a half-dozen pieces of luggage. Just by the look of her, I had a feeling she was staying for more than one concert. And her belly had grown so much bigger since the last time I'd seen her. Her waddle had turned genuine. As I wrapped my arms around her, the baby pressed against my stomach. Giggling, I leaned down and placed a hand over the protrusion. "Hi, Max," I cooed.
"It's Maximus," Griffin interrupted, brushing me aside to collect Anna into his arms. Grabbing her face, he greeted her with his tongue. It was a little over the top on the PDA scale, but I'd been watching Griffin ever since his admission that he hadn't been with anyone else since Anna told him she was pregnant, and from all I'd seen, he was telling the truth. And that was a lot of abstinence for the horn dog; he had to be practically dying on a daily basis.
When they pulled apart, my sister's deep green eyes scoured Griffin's body like she was starving and he was a prime rib dinner. She'd been "abstaining" too, and had a sex drive just as insatiable as Griffin's. Great. Unless I locked myself away somewhere, there was no way I'd be able to avoid hearing, and possibly seeing, their sex-ploits. This was going to be a long visit.
The two of them were all hands and lips in the car. Grimacing as he sat beside the pair, Matt asked, "We are going straight back to the hotel, right?"
Kellan and Evan laughed while I did my best to ignore the fact that Griffin and my sister were panting. I was keeping my gaze strictly on the scenery flying past, but I could hear clothes rustling. God, I hoped they were both still fully dressed. If I heard a zipper, I was out of the car, regardless if it was speeding down the freeway or not.
The behemoth of an SUV finally arrived at the St. Regis Atlanta. The posh hotel was a tall, stately building that screamed elegance and opulence. A fountain in front highlighted a covered drop-off area paved with what looked like slabs of slate. Everything about the architecture was designed to intimidate and impress. But the beauty of the building was lost on me at that moment; I didn't care how nice the hotel was, I just wanted out of the car. When the vehicle stopped, band members poured out of it like something toxic had been released inside. Evan and Kellan were still chuckling as they started gathering Anna's luggage from the back. Matt looked ill. Anna and Griffin didn't get out of the car.
A bellhop magically appeared with a luggage rack, and our driver took over the unpacking job from Evan and Kellan. We had a handful of drivers available to us whenever we went anywhere. All of them were arranged by the label. This one's name was Paul. He was polite, competent, and most of all silent; he only spoke to us if we asked him a direct question. I was sure that was why the label employed him. Who knows how many nondisclosures he'd had to sign.
Evan and Matt walked away with the bellhop while Paul went back to the driver's side and climbed inside. I stood by the back with Kellan, waiting for my sister to get out of the car. Seconds turned into minutes. The weather there was beautiful for late October. While back home it would be starting to bluster, rain, and turn frigid at night, here it felt like a perfectly breezy spring day. Still, I did not feel like spending the entire day waiting for my sister to get out of the damn car.
Paul was sitting behind the wheel, politely waiting for the rock star to finish . . . whatever he was doing to Anna. Not wanting to interrupt them myself, I twisted to Kellan. "Can you . . . ?" I indicated the backseat of the tank in front of us.
Kellan smirked, payback in his eyes. "I would love to."
He strutted over to the door, swung it wide open, and reached inside. God, I really hoped they were still dressed. A second later, Kellan reemerged with a disheveled Griffin. Griffin glowered at Kellan, pushing his hands away from him. His jeans were open. The sight made my stomach tighten. Griffin was just about to launch into a curse-filled rant when my sister slid out of the door. She kissed Griffin's cheek as she readjusted the clingy maternity dress she was wearing. Griffin's objections immediately died off. Anna walked over to me and looped her arm around mine like she hadn't just been rounding third base in the back of an occupied vehicle.
"This is going to be so much fun, Kiera!" she squealed, squeezing me tight. As she pulled me toward the hotel, I looked behind us. Griffin's eyes were glued on her ass; he still hadn't zipped up his pants.
The bellhop was waiting for us when we entered the lobby. I had to give this hotel high scores in the Wow department. The lobby looked straight out of Gone With the Wind-sweeping grand staircases, crystal chandeliers, hardwood floors, and exquisitely detailed rugs. While Anna gaped at the luxury around us, Matt and Evan made arrangements for her at the front desk. It warmed me that the boys so easily accepted girlfriends and wives joining them, whether for short or long bursts. As far as twenty-something rock stars went, the guys weren't your stereotypical hotel-room trashing, groupie-banging, party-all-night divas. Well, most of the guys weren't, and they kept Griffin in line.
When the bellhop got the okay to lead Anna to our rooms, we made our way to the elevator. Kellan and Griffin were back by that time, but they had to wait for the next car. This hotel was plusher than any hotel I'd been in back home, ten times nicer than my honeymoon suite with Kellan. The inner doors of the elevator were made of burnished brass, and Anna's and my reflection stared back at us. Anna preened while I examined her belly. "I'm thrilled to see you, Anna, but should you really be traveling in your condition?"
Anna stopped running her fingers through her board-straight, dark brown locks. "Condition? I'm not diseased."
The bellhop's lips twitched. His head was facing straight forward, but the reflective doors made it pretty obvious that his gaze was blatantly fixed on Anna's ample chest. Sort of wanting to block his view, I told my sister, "Yeah, but what if you went into labor early, on the plane or something?"
Anna gave me a humoring smile as she wrapped her arm around me. "You worry too much. Besides, how awesome would that story be?" Her fingers spread in the air like she was reading a headline. "'Baby Boy Delivered at 30,000 Feet.' Film at eleven."
The bellhop snorted, switching it to a cough. Anna flashed him an award-winning smile. I couldn't help feeling just a tiny smidge of jealousy. Ah, to be as breezy as my sister. Somehow, the I-don't-give-a-crap gene had skipped me. The elevator dinged to a stop, and the bellhop politely indicated for us to go first. I wasn't sure if that was his training or if he wanted a peek at the backside that had Griffin poised for action.
As we walked along the thick carpet, I glanced at the copious amount of luggage my sister had decided she couldn't live without. "You sure brought a lot of stuff for one concert," I murmured.
Grasping my hand in hers, Anna giggled. "Actually, I'm staying."
All of the muscles in my jaw stopped working. "You are? But, what about your job?" Anna worked at the "family" restaurant, Hooters. Her manager had spent a lot of time and energy mentoring her on the business side of the restaurant. Up until, well, yesterday, Anna's plan had been to get into management after the baby. Had she up and quit her job? Actually, that would not surprise me in the least.
Not a care in the world, Anna shrugged. "I decided to go on maternity leave."
We arrived at the end of the hallway where the rock star's rooms were. The D-Bags and I had two rooms on one side of the hall, and the three members of Holeshot had one room on the other side. Sienna had the entire penthouse suite. I had a feeling that Anna and Griffin would be confiscating one of the D-Bags' rooms, and the rest of us were going to be very cozy for a while. Maybe Kellan and I would return to our bus sanctuary quicker than I thought.
Still a little shocked, I sputtered, "But you have a month left," as I used my key to unlock one of the rooms.
Anna walked through like she owned the place. "I know! Just one month to be wild and crazy and completely carefree." Walking over to a crisply made bed, she sprawled herself across the elaborately brocaded cover. "Why would I want to waste my last chance at freedom being shackled to a restaurant when I could be touring the country with a bunch of rock stars?" She raised an eyebrow at me, like I should completely understand. I did. I just also understood the reality of her situation.
I sat beside her as her luggage was wheeled into the room. "But what about the baby? Where are you going to have him?"
Her face turned droll. "Call me crazy, but I was planning on having him in a hospital."
I shook my head. "What if we're not near one when you go into labor? What if we're in the middle of nowhere?" Oh God, was I going to have to deliver my sister's baby? On a tour bus? I felt a little sick just thinking about it. I was not a blood, mucus, and gore-friendly person.
She waved my concerns away. "It will be fine, Kiera. Don't stress so much."
I knew that the delivery part of having a baby actually did worry my carefree sister, and I started to wonder if that was the real reason for her escape from Seattle. My sister could do denial better than anyone.
Griffin and Kellan popped into the room a minute later. Kellan tipped the bellhop while Griffin lay down on the bed next to my sister. His hands were under her dress before I even had a chance to turn away. Feeling my cheeks heat as the sounds of lip-smacking filled the air, I hurried over to Kellan. He was lightly laughing at the frisky pair of reunited lovers. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him from the room and tossed over my shoulder, "Catch you guys later."
Anna mumbled some response, then let out a low moan. I quickly closed their door and headed over to the other room reserved for the D-Bags. Anna and Griffin could have that room all to themselves. That was just fine.
Just as she'd said, Anna stayed with us after the concert. When the busses packed up and left Atlanta, my sister packed up and headed out with us. Griffin was in seventh heaven now that Anna was with him again. A part of me wanted to believe that it was just because he was having regular sex again-a lot of regular sex-but there were brief moments of tenderness in between the sex that made me wonder if Griffin really did love my sister, and if she really did love him.
I certainly enjoyed having some more feminine energy on the bus while we traveled, and I loved having my sister close to me again; it was nice to have someone to talk to about all the craziness going on. The only thing I didn't love was the loss of my marriage bed. Griffin and Anna evicted Kellan and me from our bedroom the minute she climbed on board. And I couldn't even really complain about it because she was pregnant-very pregnant. Making her sleep in an uncomfortable cubby would be cruel.
So I grudgingly squished myself between Kellan and the bus wall every night and tried to ignore the lack of privacy, space, and comfort. It's okay, I love my sister and she needs the room more than I do became my new bedtime mantra as I attempted to fall asleep amidst the snoring, shuffling, and chatting of my many rock-star bunk mates.
Waking up with a kink in my neck after another restless night, I debated if Kellan and I could rent a motor home for the remainder of the tour. The hole-in-the-wall bunks even made me miss our thin mattress on Justin's bus. It was dark in our cubby, and the bus was unusually quiet. I figured it was still early, or late. I didn't know. Time was meaningless when alternating between packing up late at night and heading out early in the morning. And crisscrossing over time zones only added to the confusion. My internal clock was all sorts of messed up. I only knew that I was awake while others appeared to be asleep.
The sleeping portion of the bus had no windows, and the thin gray curtain that gave us the illusion of privacy was fully extended. It was peaceful, if cramped. My eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light, and blocky shapes sharpened into distinct objects. A smiling set of lips were the first thing I noticed.
"Mornin'," Kellan whispered.
I stretched my tight joints and carefully turned my neck; it ached badly. I was going to have to invest in a therapeutic pillow soon. "Good morning . . . is it morning?" I yawned.
His hand on my stomach shifted to my side, pulling me into him. "No idea."
Kellan was tall, a bit too tall for the cubbies, and his knees were pressing into my thighs. As we scooted closer together, I wrapped my legs around his. Coincidentally, our bodies lined up right "there." Kellan's grin widened as he leaned in to give me a soft kiss. "Sleep well?" he asked.
My neck complaining, I shook my head. "Not really. I miss our bed."
Kellan frowned as he shifted around; his head bumped the top of the cubby while his feet kicked the side and his elbow brushed the curtain. "Me too, I feel like a sardine in here."
Sighing, I laced my arms around his neck. "I suppose we don't always have to sleep together. We might sleep better apart."
Kellan hugged me to his bare chest, his long arms wrapping over and under my ribcage. "I'd rather go without sleep than without you."
As we lightly kissed, Kellan's hands slid under my tank top. Loving the feeling of his skin dancing over mine, I melded my body into his. Maybe being cramped wasn't such a bad thing after all, although it did lend itself to intimacy problems. We hadn't been together much since my sister had joined the tour a couple of weeks ago. I was sort of dying to make love to him.
I could tell that Kellan was dying too, as one of his hands followed the curve of my spine and darted beneath my underwear to rest on my backside. I stifled a groan and pressed my hips into his. Cramped or not, we could make this work. Our kiss picked up as his hand massaged my skin. My fingers tangled in his hair, drawing him into me.
With some shuffling, cursing, and light banging on the sides of the cubby, we resituated so that Kellan was on his back and I was on top of him. There was not a lot of room, and my back almost touched the top of the cubby. It gave me a weird feeling to know that Evan was sleeping just a few feet above me. Kellan's knees were raised as I straddled him, and he pressed against the back of the cubby to lift his hips. I shoved aside the thought that Matt's head was essentially right next to Kellan's feet.
Now that our sensitive parts were crushing together unimpeded, the rush of desire blossoming in my core spread throughout every nerve in my body like a wildfire. Not wanting to cry out, I clamped my teeth around Kellan's shoulder. He sucked in a breath and started pulling down my lounge pants. Damn clothes. They were difficult to get off in such a tight space, especially with covers wrapped around us, and both of us were panting with exertion and excitement as we tried to shove them down my hips. God, why didn't I sleep naked? With more curse words and scuffling, we finally managed to get them around my legs. Kellan reached down and looped them off of my foot. I kicked with my other foot, not caring where my clothes ended up at this point. I thought I saw them disappear out the cubby curtain.
I attacked Kellan's mouth while ripping at his boxers. I wanted him so badly, I might just tear the damn things off. Stilling my needy hips, Kellan lifted his and shoved his clothes down, but not off. That was fine with me; I just needed them out of the way. Positive I would explode any second, I pushed myself onto him once he was free. Kellan groaned and I clamped my hand over his mouth. It was still quiet in here, and as long as it was still quiet, I could pretend that we were completely alone.
We moved together with forceful determination. I didn't need foreplay, I didn't need teasing. I just needed him. I was all too aware of the creaking sound we were making, the unnatural rapidness of our breath, the seductive sound of skin on skin. There would be no way to deny what we were doing, if someone did happen to wake up. I didn't care anymore though-the look on Kellan's face, the fire raging at our point of connection-that was all I let fill my mind.
As the coiling in my body started to reach an apex, I moved my fingers away from Kellan's mouth and clamped my lips over his. Kellan's hand came up to the back of my neck, securely holding me in place. We whimpered between our fierce kisses. Just as I was sure I couldn't take anymore, I felt the glory of my release as I crashed over the edge. Kellan stiffened below me, and I knew he was feeling his own climax. I loved that we were experiencing it together. My body shook as I quietly contained the explosion shivering through me in waves. Kellan squirmed underneath me, his eyes squeezing closed as he contained his. Somehow, the self-imposed silence made the moment even more intense.
When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily. I slumped in his arms as he let out a long, steady exhale. I listened for the telltale sound of movement as our breaths evened, but I didn't hear anything, thank God.
I cuddled with Kellan for as long as I could, but my body was fully awake now and I needed to use the facilities. I looked around for my pants before remembering that they had fallen into the aisle. Awesome. Carefully scooting over Kellan, who took the opportunity to tickle my sides-not helping my bladder at all-I peeked my head out of our curtain. Since we were on the bottom of the stack, my pants hadn't fallen too far. As I reached out for them, I noticed that the curtain was pulled back on the cubby directly across from me. Deacon was partially sitting up, reading a book with a soft night-light.
All of the blood drained from my face as he glanced over at me retrieving the bottom half of my pajamas. Thankfully, I was still wearing the top half. Now I remembered exactly why I didn't go to bed naked. As I stared in horror, Deacon lifted his hand in a small wave. It was too dark for me to know for sure if he was embarrassed or not, but his smile was appropriately sheepish.
I opened and shut my mouth like a guppy that had been yanked out of its fishbowl. What do I say? Should I apologize? Should he? What was the proper etiquette in this situation? What would Miss Manners do? As I was floundering for something to ease the awkwardness, Deacon reached up and removed a small speaker from his ear; his long, dark hair had been hiding them from my sight. The tinny sound of loud rock music drifted over to me as he whispered, "Did you say something?"
I instantly relaxed. He hadn't heard anything. But Deacon wasn't an idiot. He'd seen my pants falling to the floor, and he was staring at me picking them back up. He knew. And I really didn't know how long he'd been awake, reading and listening to music. We may have stirred him from sleep, and he may have turned on his music to tune us out once he realized what we were engaged in right next to him. At least he was polite. If Griffin were across the aisle from us, he probably would have grabbed his cell phone and started recording.
Clutching my pants, I quickly shook my head and darted back into the solace of my Kellan-filled cubby. When I buried my head in his chest, Kellan asked, "Problem?"
I peeked up at him. "I really miss our room."
Kellan gave me a lopsided grin. "We'll start getting our own room at the hotel when we can."
I took what comfort from that as I could; brief moments of privacy were better than none at all. Dressing hastily, I accidently kneed my love in the privates, making him scrunch in pain. He glared at me as he clutched himself. "Sorry," I whispered, kissing his cheek.
"Definitely getting our own room," he muttered, closing his eyes.
Feeling bad and amused, I quickly left Kellan and made my way to the back of the bus to use the bathroom. I purposely kept my eyes on the tiny LED lights in the floor. I didn't want to see any other open cubbies. Ignorance was bliss.
By early afternoon, we were pulling into Charlotte, North Carolina; the concert tonight was at Time Warner Cable Arena. Anna was using my laptop to surf the Internet as everyone on the bus relaxed in the lounge section. Kellan and Evan were playing poker on one side of the room with Deacon and the bassist from Holeshot, David. Thankfully, Deacon hadn't said a word to me about our awkward exchange this morning. Matt was having a quiet conversation on his cell phone, most likely with Rachel. The other Holeshot band member, the drummer, Ray, was playing Guitar Hero with Griffin. Griffin was winning hands down. Like I had been for the past hour, I was impatiently waiting for Anna to finish with my computer so I could write a paragraph or two before the show. Every time I'd asked for it back, she'd given me the "just a minute" finger. She was visiting a parenting website, though, so I didn't push her too hard. I could go back to my old-fashioned notebook for a little while longer.
Looking up at the thick, dreary clouds hanging low in the North Carolina sky, Anna pouted and murmured, "I miss Florida."
After Atlanta, we'd spent some time in the Sunshine State. Miami was a big hit with my sister; even bursting at the seams pregnant, she'd had a good time. She'd been delighted that she could sunbathe in the middle of autumn, and was even up for some club-hopping after the boys' show. I reminded her that she was due in a couple of weeks, so maybe bumping and grinding at a night club wasn't the best idea. The band's concerts were loud enough, no need for baby Maximus to be born deaf by dancing the night away in bass-thumping nightclubs. Anna had scoffed at me, but with a big yawn had finally conceded. She'd gone on to bump and grind the night away privately with Griffin.
Giving my sister a humoring smile, I tapped my pen against my pad of paper while I thought about the way Kellan and I had reunited. I was approaching the tail end of our story, my favorite part of it, truly, when I'd stopped living in fear and had finally accepted the fact that we were meant to be together. The moment flooded back to me, absorbing me, and my mind began to spin faster than my pen could keep up.
Anna's attention refocused on the computer in front of her while I whipped through an especially emotional segment of my life. After a brief moment of peace, Anna loudly snorted, completely breaking my concentration. "What?" I asked, a little perturbed. Between her talking to me every five seconds, the loud twang of poorly played rock songs, and the good-natured ribbing going on at the poker table-usually at Kellan's expense-I probably would have had better luck concentrating in the comparatively quiet, but cramped, cubby.
"Did you know there are websites solely dedicated to proving Kellan's sex tape is with Sienna?"
That question got my complete and total attention, and I set down my pad of paper with a long sigh. Well, of course there were. Seeing that she'd sucked me in, Anna twirled the laptop around on the table so I could see the screen. Sure enough, someone had created a blog that centered around proving-without a doubt-that Kellan and Sienna had filmed themselves having sex. What the hell?
The page was plastered with still shots of Joey's movie. The dark, grainy images were enlarged and out of focus, but objects in the photographs were circled, and fantastical theories of the objects' significance were explained in detail beneath them. Seeing Kellan's bare back while he was plunging into another woman was way more than I'd ever wanted to see. It brought the horror of watching him film that music video fresh to my mind. Only this was worse. This was real. And I didn't want to see anymore.
Grimacing, I swung the screen back around toward my sister. Her jade eyes glanced Kellan's way and then she leaned forward, like she was spilling top secret information. "They're comparing still shots of Sienna's original tape, looking for similarities. They're pointing out a mark on Joey's inner thigh that sort of matches a birthmark on Sienna." She rolled her eyes while I tried not to think about the angle needed to get a still shot of Joey's thigh. "And even more absurd, they're claiming that an alarm clock in the room exactly matches one in a hotel nearby where the video for 'Regretfully' was filmed. They're saying they 'rehearsed' for the music video." She lifted her eyebrow at me, amused. "What a stretch, huh?" She pointed at the screen I refused to look at again. "It's so obvious that it's Joey's room they're in."
My veins suddenly felt like I'd injected ice water into them. Oh. My. God. Kellan and Joey filmed this in her old bedroom at his house. My old bedroom. The bedroom I had shared with Denny. The furniture I had shared with Denny. Kellan and Joey had sex on the same mattress Denny and I had sex on. The thought made my stomach roil.
I looked over at Kellan shaking his head at Evan as he tossed down his cards in defeat. Did he realize the six degrees of separation that had occurred on Joey's mattress? Well, he knew that we'd all had sex on that bed, sure, but I doubt he'd thought too much about it. I mean, he'd taken plenty of girls on his own bed, and being with him there didn't bother me, so why would him being on my old bed matter? It didn't, not really. I guess it was just the knowledge of Kellan and Denny both using the same mattress that disturbed me some. Regardless of the horrible things I'd done, I'd never crossed the line and invited Kellan into the bed I'd shared with Denny. It was an arbitrary line, I know, but at least I'd had one.
Blocking out the mental image of Kellan screwing someone on Denny's and my bed, I shifted my attention back to my sister. "How can you tell it's my old room from these blurry photos?" Narrowing my eyes, I instantly came up with the obvious answer. "You watched Kellan's sex tape?"
Anna waved her hand at me dismissively. "You told me to, remember?" Her manicured nail tapped the spot just above her heart. "And you were right, no tattoo."
I wanted to be irritated at that, but I had told all of my friends to watch the tape so they would know without a doubt that it wasn't Kellan. I guess I couldn't really complain. I'd just never really thought my friends would watch it. I thought they'd be swayed by my unwavering declaration of Kellan's fidelity and take my word for it without actually viewing the triple-X footage. I should have known better. At least when it came to Anna. She'd probably hunkered down with a huge bowl of popcorn and eagerly watched Kellan in action. The frown on my face was irremovable.
Anna pursed her lips. "Oh, come on. If you weren't dating Sex on a Stick, you would want to watch the tape too. It's freaking hot."
"Anna!" I reached over and smacked her arm. "I don't want to hear stuff like that!"
She cringed, looking apologetic. "Sorry, but, well, look at him."
She swished her hand in Sex on a Stick's direction, and we both twisted to stare at Kellan. Our synchronized movement caught his attention and he looked over our way. He paused mid-laugh as his eyes darted between us. Looking for all the world like he'd just gotten caught with his fingers in the cookie jar, he mouthed, "What?"
Still eyeing Kellan, Anna muttered, "Anything he filmed would be freaking hot." Not answering Kellan, I glanced back at my sister. Her grin was lascivious as she told me, "Your tape with him would melt this computer."
My annoyance evaporated after her comment and a tension-relieving giggle escaped from me. When Anna and I looked back at Kellan, he was still watching us with a bewildered expression. Anna and I both broke into laughter. Was I really amused that my sex tape with him would be more explosive than Joey's? When did my life get so surreal?
Our amusement died down by the time we pulled into the venue. Shutting my laptop, Anna finally gave me back my computer. As I listened to the busses' brakes squeal and groan, Anna spoke in an oddly serious tone of voice. "Have you talked to Mom recently?"
The genuine concern in her question made my heart rate quicken. Was Mom okay? Had something happened? She'd been cancer-free for years, but maybe something had cropped back up? But surely Dad would call me if that were the case. And she hadn't sounded upset when I'd last spoken with her, a few days ago. "A little while ago, why?"
I chewed on my lip, not liking the look on Anna's face. "You need to call her immediately." I was preparing my body to sprint to the back of the bus to get my phone when she added, "Since your wedding is a little over a month away, and you put her in charge of everything, which makes me think you're crazy . . . she picked out a dress for you. She sent me a picture." Anna wrinkled her face in disgust.
I completely relaxed as I fell back into the plush seat. Good, wedding drama I could deal with. As I laughed at my sister, the bus groaned to a stop. "I'm sure it's fine, Anna."
Anna leaned forward again, face intent. "No, you haven't seen this thing. It's got puffy sleeves, Kiera. Puffy. Sleeves. You need to do something about this ASAP!"
I sighed. There wasn't much I could do about it on the road. And I really didn't feel like flying home just to demean my mom's fashion choice. Sure, puffy sleeves didn't exactly sound fabulous to me, but since this ceremony was mainly for her anyway, did I really care what I wore? Not really. All I cared about was Kellan. Everything else seemed . . . insignificant.
Playing with my sister's head, I smirked and told her, "I can't wait to see what she picked up for your dress, Maid of Honor."
Anna flashed a wide grin, happy that I'd given her the top spot in my bridal party. Then her face fell. "Holy shit! She wouldn't . . ." I kept my gaze level and my smile even. Yeah, she would. Holding her belly, Anna sprang from the table and shuffled her way toward the back of the bus, surely to go inform our mother that there was no way in hell she was wearing anything with taffeta.
With practiced ease, the crew traveling with the bands sets up the stage. Unlike Justin's tour, the "talent" didn't help with the equipment. They didn't really need to; there were more than enough people around to take care of it. After a brief sound check, Sienna, Holeshot, and the D-Bags spent an hour or so with the fans doing a very formal type of meet-and-greet. While the majority of the fans won the right to meet Sienna and the boys, some of the uberSienna fans had actually purchased the VIP treatment. As always, Tory and Sienna's bodyguards were on hand to help corral the crowd of nearly hyperventilating devotees. Our necks adorned with our All Access passes, my sister and I waited in the room buzzing with expectant energy.
Tory was laying down the ground rules for the fans-no one was allowed to hug the band members, and everyone only had ten to fifteen seconds per person before they would be forcefully moved on down the line. It was all so mechanical, like a rock-star assembly line. Kellan's attentiveness to his fans had bothered me at one point, but it was preferable to the standoffishness being presented here-Look but don't touch was practically being shouted from the rafters.
But it didn't really matter what Kellan's wishes were. This was Sienna's show, and Sienna's rules, and she preferred a little space between her and her admirers. Made me wonder if she'd had some bad run-ins in the past. Probably. Idly, I wondered if Kellan would attract a few crazies. Thinking of Candy and Joey, I considered the fact that maybe he already had.
There was an electric buzz in the large, rectangular room as the fans waited for their moment in the sun with the rock stars. Sitting on chairs in the corner of the room, Anna and I scanned the bizarre festivities with amused smiles. Knowing the people that were being adulated was surreal. As always, there were a lot of D-Bags fans in the bunch; I could tell by their shirts. Unfortunately, there were also several people wearing Kell-Sex shirts. The Kellan/Sienna supporters had started springing up everywhere recently. There were huge banners at every show now, and even fan-made montages of them online. While artistically beautiful, I hated those damn videos.
Blinking in disbelief, I stared at a Kell-Sex fan in front of me who was holding a pair of underwear. Was she really going to ask Kellan to sign her skivvies? Then I noticed what was on the underwear and my mouth fell to my chest. "Oh my God, Anna"-I indicated the young girl showing the panties to her friend-"check those out."
Anna looked over and started laughing. Some forward thinking woman had embroidered a pair of lacey briefs with the letters KK on the front, and the words Rock God on the back. Laughing into my hand, I imagined wearing those for Kellan. He would flip out . . . in a good way.
Anna must have been thinking the same thing. Working her way to her feet, she sniggered, "I have to have those." She sauntered up to the girl and flashed her pass. Then she said something and jerked her thumb back at me. The fan started hopping up and down on her feet, and immediately tossed Anna the underwear. She and her friend were squealing when Anna walked away.
"What did you promise them?" I asked, knowing full well it involved me somehow.
Handing me the underwear, Anna crooked a Kellan-worthy smile. "That you were Kellan's personal assistant, and you would get them a private meeting if they handed over the goods."
I rolled my eyes at her. How was I supposed to do that? Tory was all over getting the fans into and out of the building as quickly as possible. She'd never let one stay behind for a private get together. Grinning at the fabric in my hands, I decided I would find a way, even if I had to seriously piss off Tory. These panties were too freaking awesome to not give the girl something in return.
As I stood up and stuffed the underwear in my pocket, the rock stars finally showed up. I plugged my ears until the screaming died down. Holeshot came in first, Deacon, David, and Ray waving as they made their way to their assigned area along one long wall of the room. The fans clustered in the center of the room naturally shifted toward the band members. I had to smile at Deacon; he had his long hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. He always did this when he met with fans. He'd told me once that he'd lost a good chunk of hair to some over-eager admirers, so he was a little more careful now with his locks. David and Ray didn't have that issue. David shaved his head completely bald, and Ray's blond hair was about a quarter inch long.
The D-Bags appeared not long after Holeshot. I cringed and plugged my ears again for longer this time. Anna joined in with the fans' catcalls as our boys took their spot on the wall next to Deacon and his band. Matt was blushing and looked horribly uncomfortable as he ran his hand through his spiky, blond hair in an obsessive-compulsive fashion. This part never was a favorite of his. I sympathized. I didn't like being put on display either.
Evan was laid-back and comfortable as his warm brown eyes scanned the room packed with people. The flames on his forearms lined up perfectly as he crossed his arms over his chest; his grin was contagious. Griffin looked like he was the self-proclaimed ruler of this arena, and everyone in his presence was his faithful servant. He huffed into his hand, checking his breath, then rubbed his palms together and flashed a predatory smile, like some poor girl was about to lose her virtue tonight. I didn't buy the act, though. Anna had somehow tamed the beast, at least for now.
Last but not least, there was Kellan. My husband was dressed for comfort, like he always was, in a plain black shirt and loose jeans that hugged him where they needed to. The simplicity of his outfit amplified the attractiveness of his face. Once a person recovered from the hint of an amazing physique hiding beneath his clothes, his eyes and smile commanded their attention-along with his hair. Couldn't forget the impossible sexiness of his shaggy head of bedroom hair. Kellan's face wore a look of simmering seduction as he scanned the crowd. I knew he was looking for me, but the fans between us seemed to think his intense blue eyes were scouring the throngs for a potential mate. And many of them looked more than willing to volunteer, even some of the really young ones, which was a little disturbing.
I giggled as I watched him look for me. I couldn't wait to show him the surprise in my pocket.
With a small entourage swarming around her like bees following a pollen-filled flower, Sienna breezed into the packed room. According to Tory's earlier speech, Sienna was supposed to be standing near the doors, the last stop of the fan locomotive. But Sienna didn't seem to care about Tory's carefully laid plans and purposely strode over to stand between Kellan and Matt, making a flushed Matt now the end of the line. Kellan looked over at Sienna, his expression blank. She smiled and bumped her shoulder against his in a display of friendly camaraderie. Cameras started snapping, eating up the playful antics of the beautiful couple that were madly and deeply in love with each other. Yeah, right.
I held my irritation in check as best I could. Sienna just couldn't pass up a photo op with Kellan, and since he'd started rejecting formally posing with her, she'd started satisfying herself with candid shots. Anything to keep the public's interest in her up. Obviously, Kellan hated the game she was playing and kept a polite distance from Sienna as she stood beside him.
Tory and the security team ushered the fans into a somewhat orderly long line, then started them moving in a wedding-style greeting with the band members, starting with Holeshot. Wanting to speak with Kellan about Underwear Fan, I ducked into the massive line with Anna.
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.