Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(52)

“Let’s do this, people!” he called out.

Kellan let out a low laugh as he separated from me. As he moved away, his hand trailed down my arm. I grabbed his fingers, leaned forward, and planted a kiss on his makeup-covered cheek. Feeling the absence of his wedding band, I asked him, “Where is your ring?”

He patted his pocket as he frowned. “Label doesn’t want us to advertise that we’re not single.” He rolled his eyes. “Apparently sales drop twenty percent if we’re off the market. Or so Frank says.” He pointed at the photographer, who was tinkering with something on his camera.

Kellan hesitated a minute, then looked around. Giving me a devilish grin, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his ring. Glancing around like he was breaking the law, he quickly slipped it on his finger. “What the f*ck do I care what people think, right?” His face sobered. “I do care about that photo with Sienna, though. I’ll take care of it, Kiera.”

I shook my head and was about to tell him that it didn’t matter, when he was suddenly pulled from behind by one of Frank’s “helpers.” Once Kellan was manhandled into position, Frank started snapping away. It made me smile that in every shot, Kellan’s ring glimmered just a little bit. It was his small display of rebellion against the system.

After about three dozen photos, the session was done. I was glad I didn’t have to pick which one was going to grace the final cover; I was sure they were all going to be breathtaking. Looking relieved that it was done, Kellan kissed my cheek and murmured, “I’m gonna go change and wash this shit off my face.”

As I was giggling at him, Griffin stepped into our circle. Smoothing down his leather jacket, he asked Kellan, “Hey, you think they’ll let us keep these clothes?” He smiled over at me; my skin crawled. “I am so getting laid tonight.”

The irritation inside me quickly boiled over into righteous indignation. Narrowing my eyes to pinpoints that would surely pierce his unfeeling heart, I bit out, “You make me sick!”

Griffin blinked; he looked both confused and annoyed. “What’s your problem?”

Balling my hands into fists, I resisted the urge to clock him. “You’re about to have a baby with my sister, and you’re still putting your . . . Hulk . . . into anything that lies still long enough. It’s disgusting!”

Hands on his hips, Griffin stepped in front of me. “I’m a rock star. I’ll f*ck anything I want to f*ck. It’s what we do.”

Shaking my head, I looked from Matt, to Evan, and finally to Kellan. None of them acted like Griffin did.“No, it’s not.”

Griffin looked over his shoulder at Kellan and rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. Just because you *-whipped him doesn’t mean you can *-whip me.” He swung his gaze back to mine. “Besides, it’s not like Anna isn’t out banging every guy that she wants to. And do you see me getting all bent out of shape about it?”

I knew he had a point, and I knew I had no business saying anything, but he was just so . . . ugh! “She’s not like that anymore. She hasn’t been with anyone but you since she got pregnant. You’re the only man she talks about now.”

Griffin looked surprisingly astonished by that. “Really?” He seemed to mull it over for a second as he looked around at everyone staring at us. Then he returned his eyes to mine and tossed his hands in the air. “It’s just f*cking. What’s the big deal?”

I could only shake my head at him. “You’re both going to be parents, Griffin. That’s a life-changing event, one that Anna is scared to death about. And here you are, living it up, still banging babes left and right. Do you even care about what she’s going through? You enjoy having sex with Anna, but do you care about my sister at all?”

Griffin stared at me blankly, his face expressionless. After another pause he gave me a derisive snort. “I was just joking. Relax the f*ck up, Kiera.” With that, he stormed off to the changing rooms.

Matt, Evan, and Kellan all watched him leave, then Matt turned back to me with wide eyes. “I can’t be sure, but I think you just gave him food for thought.” He held his hand out to me, and I shook it with a laugh. “Nicely played, Mrs. Kyle.” Matt winked at me then clapped Evan’s back. Lightly chuckling, the pair strode off after Griffin.

After everyone was gone, Kellan slung his arm around me. “It’s adorable that you still try.”

I smirked up at him, then glanced down at his jacket. “Griffin did ask a good question. Think they’ll let you keep the clothes?”

I let my gaze wander down to his strategically torn jeans. Breath warm in my ear, Kellan muttered, “I don’t need to keep them . . . they’re just in the way.”

I closed my eyes, instantly picturing warm skin, light moans, and soft lips. When I opened them, Kellan was walking away from me, but still watching me. His eyes simmered with heated promise, and when I inhaled, my breath was shaky. God, he was attractive.





Chapter 10


Buzz





The release date of the album was set for the thirteenth of September. The first single was going to be the song they recorded with Sienna. There was already a huge buzz about it, especially once word got out that the mysterious man in the photograph was the lead singer of the band featured on Sienna’s new song. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but the tabloids figured out who Kellan was and ran with the story of two young musicians falling in love while recording their duet. Rumors of their relationship popped up everywhere. Now that it had been brought to my attention, I couldn’t seem to escape it—TV, grocery store magazine racks, the radio. I’d seen or heard about the damn photo fifty million times already. Okay, it was an attractive photo. They’d captured the moment right when Kellan had been politely smiling down at Sienna, and she was smiling back up at him. I couldn’t successfully pull off a profile shot, but Kellan and Sienna looked just as good from the side as they did straight on; it really wasn’t fair.