Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(38)

I bit my lip. “Wow, that’s actually a really hard choice.”

Kellan chuckled and grabbed my hand. Leading me to the first door along the wall, he murmured, “Well, I’ve had enough of Griffin lately and not nearly enough of you.”

He opened the door wide and I gasped as I stepped inside. It was more like a studio apartment than a guest bedroom; it was about three times the size of our room back in Seattle. The walls were painted a surprisingly warm shade of gray, with furniture in a deep, contrasting dark cherry. The bedspread was black with intricate silver designs. The sheets and pillows were crisp white, with designs that matched the comforter, but in black. Silver and black lamps adorned the nightstands, and gray lounge chairs created a quiet space in the corner, perfect for reading or writing. A giant flat-screen TV was fixed to the wall opposite the bed.

All in all, it was a very manly room, but it did have some feminine touches. A crystal chandelier was hanging in the middle of the room. Deep purple throw pillows were artfully arranged on the bed, and a plush purple rug was lying at the foot of it. Tall pillar candles were positioned in clumps of three throughout the room, and a vase overflowing with white lilies highlighted an ornate lowboy dresser.

The room was stunning, but that wasn’t what made me gasp. Kellan had taken bright red rose petals and scattered them over the floor and on top of the bed. The red seemed even deeper in color against the black bedspread. Over the top of the red petals, Kellan had carefully placed a layer of white petals. Those petals formed a heart, and on the inside of the heart was a box. A small, velvet box. My heart was surging as I stared at it.

Closing the door behind us, Kellan murmured in my ear, “Do you like it?”

I couldn’t answer him. I could only nod as I laser-focused on the gift waiting for me. Kellan pulled me forward, and the smell of fresh flowers tickled my nose in a wonderful way. I slipped off my sandals as we walked so I could feel the silky petals under my toes. When we got to the edge of the bed, Kellan stopped and stared at the box with me. After another moment, he pulled it off of the bed, careful to not disrupt the artful white heart. My eyes followed his fingers. Without a word, Kellan dropped to a knee. Even though he’d done this before, even though we were already married in our hearts, the sight of him on bended knee made my eyes water.

Smiling up at me, he whispered, “Kiera Michelle Allen, will you be my wife?”

The tears in my eyes dropped to my cheeks as he opened the box. I was already nodding as I stared at the diamonds sparkling in the sunlight streaming through the window. The center diamond was a large round beauty that gleamed with life as it refracted the light. A “halo” of smaller diamonds circled it, amplifying its glow, while a similar strand of diamonds lined either side of the silver band. It was quite easily the most incredible ring I’d ever seen.

Kellan was calm and relaxed as he pulled the ring out of the box. My fingers were shaking as he slipped the new ring on my left hand, above the promise ring that I’d been wearing as a wedding ring. The two rings complemented each other perfectly, and I couldn’t stop staring at them. Kellan was chuckling as he stood back up.

When I felt more composed, I looked up at him and said the first thing that popped into my head. “You didn’t need to do that. My old ring was fine.” I cringed at telling him that right out of the gate, but this ring looked pricey, and he didn’t need to spend that kind of money on me. He didn’t need to win me over—I was already won.

Kellan smiled and looped his arms around my waist. “Yes, I did.”

I shook my head. “Don’t get me wrong, this is . . . unbelievable . . . but I was content with the old band. You didn’t have to do this.”

Kellan’s smile didn’t change. “Yes, I did.”

“Kellan—”

He cut me off with his lips on mine. “Yes, I did, Kiera,” he murmured against my skin.

My eyes fluttered closed, and I dropped my pointless objection. It was his money, who was I to tell him how to spend it? As his arms tightened around my waist, my fingers tangled through his hair. Our kiss deepened as the emotion of the moment mixed with the ache of our weeks’ long separation. It had been entirely too long since I’d been in his arms, and even though this house was swarming with people, I suddenly didn’t want to be wearing anything but the new, shiny ring he’d just given to me.

Silently begging him, I pulled at his shirt. He understood and stripped it off immediately. I ran my fingers over his chest, delighting in the warm, smooth skin, the etched lines and valleys. Leaning down, I placed a soft kiss over my name drawn above his heart. Kellan sighed and held my head to his chest.

I peeked up at him, and his eyes were closed. His expression was peaceful, happy. Wanting to see his eyes sizzle, I ducked down and ran my tongue around his nipple. Then I closed my mouth over it and gently dragged my teeth across the sensitive skin. I was sure his chest wasn’t as sensitive as mine, but I’d read somewhere that guys enjoyed a little stimulation there. Kellan’s eyes flashed open, and his smooth face morphed into a devilish, one-sided grin.

The pads of his fingers trailed down my back, barely brushing against me on their journey down my spine; waves of heat radiated from each point of contact. When he got to the bottom of my shirt, he slipped his fingers under the hem and deftly pulled it over my body. His eyes locked onto my bra.

I was traditionally a very practical dresser, especially in the undergarment department. Your basic white or cream, full-coverage bras appealed to me the most. But my sister had started interjecting herself into my wardrobe choices. Telling me that no one married to a rock star could wear a bra whose slogan was Finally a Woman, she’d taken me lingerie shopping. I’d ignored her suggestions at first, since the scraps of material she’d tried to force upon me barely constituted a bra, but then she’d started showing me pretty, elegant pieces that I actually liked. The one I was wearing now was a lacy, light pink, push-up bra. I didn’t have a whole lot of assets to begin with, but the bra took what I did have and squeezed them together in such a way that it looked like I had a whole lot more. I’d say I was stretching our honesty pact by wearing it, but Kellan already knew my body well. I was merely dressing up the package, or so my sister said. I couldn’t wait for him to see the matching underwear.