Page 45
I grimaced. If she only knew how much I had already done. . . of both.
We finished up our shopping trip with my sister finding the perfect pair of flirty high heels, and a delicate looking silver necklace. I sighed mentally. She was going to look amazing. . . she already did, just wearing jeans and a tight blouse. I didn't have the money to splurge on clothes right now, so I was going to dig through my closet for something decent to wear. It really didn't matter. I wouldn't be able to hold a candle next to her anyway. And I didn't have to, I reminded myself. Denny loved me and that was what mattered. Denny, not. . .
I didn't even let myself finish that thought.
We ate a light dinner and she gabbed about the various men she had been "seeing" since dumping Phil, quite harshly from the way she told the story. I felt momentarily bad for Phil. She had probably torn apart his heart and not even realized it. I felt oddly, and sympathetically, connected to him.
After our meal, we shopped a few more stores, my sister picking up a few more items, and then we made our way home to get ready for our. . . evening.
Anna quickly and easily slipped into her new outfit, hustling downstairs while I still rummaged around for something to wear. Denny offered suggestions, until I glared viciously at him. He stopped after that, shaking his head as he buttoned up his shirt. I watched him for a moment, a little annoyed at how easy it was to dress when you're a guy. His white shirt fit his body perfectly and he wore it un-tucked over his favorite faded blue jeans. He looked great. If I had been in a different mood, I would have stopped him from buttoning his shirt up and slipped it back off of him.
But I wasn't. . . I was irritated. Finally, I found something and half-heartedly slipped it on.
I came downstairs moments later, and stopped dead in my tracks on the bottom step. My sister and Kellan were sitting on the couch. Kellan was sitting on the very edge of the cushion, elbows on his knees, and my sister was straddled behind him, kneeling on the cushions, with her body pressed firmly against him. Her skimpy, black, tank top dress was so short, that her entire thigh was exposed, and she seemed to not care at all. Kellan either for that matter. She was playing with his hair while he idly watched TV. Irritation made me frown.
She looked over at me and smiled. "Hey. . . you look great!" I felt anything but great staring at her beauty, passable more likely. Kellan looked over as well and gave me a small, approving smile.
"You're beautiful," Denny purred into my ear, coming down the stairs behind me. He kissed my neck and I relaxed a bit. I was glad he liked the outfit that I'd had such a hard time picking. I knew I couldn't compete with my sister, so eventually, I had just decided to dress for comfort. I had picked out my chunky, black shoes, black low-rise jeans and a red, low-cut, slinky tank top number; clubs got hot pretty quickly. My hair was already pulled up in a low ponytail. I was ready for the heat I knew was coming.
"She's not going to do that to me, is she?" Denny asked, coming over to stand beside me, and staring at Anna and Kellan on the couch with a small frown on his face. I finally got past my irritation at how they were sitting and looked more closely at what they were doing. Anna wasn't just playing with his hair, she was styling it.
Denny and I walked into the living room. Denny took a seat in the chair and patting his lap, encouraged me to sit on top of him. After a quick glance at Kellan, I did. "What are you doing, Anna?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
She smiled brightly at me. "Doesn't he have the best fuck-me hair! Don't you just want to. . . " She grabbed a section on either side of his head and lightly tugged, making Kellan flinch, and then grin. "Uh!" she growled suggestively.
I blushed deeply, knowing exactly what she meant, and said absolutely nothing.
Anna went back to styling his hair, while Kellan smiled softly and looked down. "He's letting me clubify it. He's going to be the hottest thing in there. " She looked over at Denny. "No offense or anything. "
Denny laughed at her. "None taken, Anna. "
"Oh," I said quietly, thinking his hair was fabulous before Anna got to it. But watching her work. . . he was oddly hotter. She was taking some of the longer pieces and shaping them with pomade, to define his shaggy mess into random, chunky, spike-like pieces around his head.
The effect was incredibly sexy and as he watched me, watch him, I started blushing and had to look away. A flash of jealousy went through me that she was doing something so intimate for him, followed quickly by a flash of longing that I forcefully pushed aside.
"What do you think?" Kellan asked.
"Uhhh. . . looks great, man," Denny said, laughing a little.
"Oh, you just don't understand girls, Denny. They'll go nuts for this. Right, Kiera?" Anna said spunkily.
Kellan chuckled softly and I blushed even deeper. "Yeah, sure, Anna. He'll be-"
"Man-candy?" Kellan finished, highly amused, his eyes never leaving mine.
"Oohhh. . . I like that!" Anna exclaimed, slipping her arms around his neck, apparently finished. I bristled at her closeness to him.
"Are we ready to go?" I spit out, a little too intently.
Kellan nodded and stood up, and I finally noticed what he was wearing. He was in head-to-toe black - black boots, black jeans and a fitted, black, short-sleeved, button-up shirt. Combined with his now impossibly sexy, spiky hair, I had to close my eyes and take a minute at his attractiveness.
Tonight was going to be. . . interesting.
We arrived at the club named Spanks that Griffin had recommended to Kellan. Knowing Griffin and his. . . tastes, I was really unsure about walking into this place. Kellan assured us that it was just a normal club with a weird name and the music was good. Of course, Kellan would find it only too amusing to convince us all to go to some S&M club. Come to think of it, Anna would find that amusing too. In some ways, they were too perfectly matched. That thought saddened me a little.
The music was pleasantly loud, even from the outside. Denny grabbed my hand and grinning, helped me from his car. Kellan had driven his own car. Anna had, predictably, darted into his car before I could say anything. He'd managed to find a spot a few spaces away from us and Kellan helped Anna get out of his car too. They walked over to Denny and me looking like super models.
My sister adjusted her ridiculously short dress and checked her slinky black high heels before giving me a quick hug. I couldn't help the jealousy that sprang through me at her beauty. Her lips were bright red again, her green eyes popping out gloriously from her expertly done mascara, and her shiny hair was curled into perfect, large rolls, that bounced effortlessly when she moved, the red streaks peaking out through the bottom layers enticingly. If Kellan's perfection could be somehow morphed into a woman. . . it would be my sister. For a split-second, I couldn't help the thought that if she and Kellan had children, they would be breathtaking. That thought instantly irritated me.
Anna grabbed Kellan's hand and led him to the front door. He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. Denny put his arm around me as we followed them across the lot. I was grateful for that. I was suddenly very cold.
The burly man attending the rope to the packed club, took one look at Kellan and Anna approaching him, and instantly raised the rope for them. Well, of course. The super-hot people don't need to wait in line. Kellan paused at the rope and waited for Denny and me, the less-hot people, to make sure we got inside too.
Spanks really was just a cleverly weird name, to draw people in, or something. The inside was, thankfully, a typical generic club. Some couches here and there, long tables with bar stools, some mildly interesting art thrown on the walls, a long bar taking up the far wall across from the entrance, and slightly around a corner, the crowd of moving bodies on the dance floor - that was massive. The music was pleasantly deafening. I was glad for it, and for the confusing mass of bodies. I was ready to disappear.
Denny, Anna and I, found a free spot on one of the long tables while K
ellan braved the four-person deep mob, waiting for drinks at the bar. He was back in record time though, and I couldn't help but notice the female bartender giving him disgustingly inappropriate looks. It irritated me, for some reason.
Kellan handed everyone a shot of. . . something. I sniffed it and immediately made a face. I snapped my eyes up to where he was grinning at me with an eyebrow raised. Tequila? He had actually brought us all tequila? He set down a container of limes and some salt while I looked at him incredulously. Everyone around me set up their shot, no one having a problem with Kellan's drink choice. I braced myself and prepared mine as well.
Kellan laughed softly, which thankfully got swallowed up in the noise, and no one else but me noticed. He dipped his finger in the tequila to wet the back of his hand, and the memory of him doing that on our first night together suddenly overcame me so fast, that I had to close my eyes and breathe deep.
"You okay?" Denny leaned over and said in my ear.
I opened my eyes and looked over at his concerned face. "Yeah. . . " I glared over at Kellan. "I'm just not a big fan of tequila. "
Kellan smiled wider. "Really? You struck me as the type that would. . . love it. "
My sister butted in, as Kellan laughed again and I frowned. "Well, I love it. . . cheers!"
Kellan raised an eyebrow and his glass, and toasting Anna, they did their shots together. They both laughed as they sucked on their limes. Denny raised his glass and I stubbornly raised mine, and toasting him, we did our shots together. Feeling a little snotty, I took Denny's lime. . . from his mouth, lingering for a long kiss.
While kissing a surprised, but willing, Denny, I heard my sister yell, "Wooo. . . there's my girl!"
Pulling back, I risked a glance at Kellan. He no longer looked amused. He clenched his jaw. Then half-grinning sexily, he looked over at Anna and extended a hand out to her. "Want to?" He nodded over to the dance floor, and she eagerly nodded her head. They disappeared into the crowd, his hand on her lower back. . . her extreme lower back. He glanced back at me once, an odd glint in his eye as they were swallowed by the throng.
I swallowed my ire and focused on my own date.
"They make a good couple," Denny said, also watching them leave.
I swallowed again and forcibly shoved all irritation aside, making myself relax completely for the first time in what felt like forever. Denny was looking at me adoringly, a big goofy grin on his beautiful face. He nodded over to the dance floor, and I eagerly nodded back.
Dancing was a loose term in a club this full. It was more like tightly-packed, rhythmic moving. Denny grabbed my hand, so we wouldn't get separated in the massive swarm, and then pulled us to a more central location. It was already getting warm and I was glad for my breezy outfit choice. I had no idea what the song playing was, and I didn't care. The beat was heavy, and drowned out every thought in my cramped head.
Denny grabbed my waist and we moved closely together. I laughed and threw my arms around his neck. Sometimes I forgot just how attractive Denny was. He had the first three buttons undone on his shirt and his skin showed through enticingly. His hair was perfectly piecey and fabulously styled, and I ran my fingers back through the short layers near his neck, making him smile.
The women around us sure hadn't missed him. As we had moved into place, they barely registered me, before turning to look at him with open interest on their faces. Denny took no notice of them, he never did. His eyes were purely for me. He leaned in close to kiss me softly, his warm eyes sparkling. I ran a finger along the wonderfully light hair following his jaw line and sighed happily, letting the music, and his body, carry away my troubles.
We never saw Kellan and Anna again. I made myself not wonder about where they'd taken off to in the club, and about how provocatively they must be grinding together. I made myself not think about them possibly having abandoned us here, to find a more intimate setting elsewhere. Eventually, I managed to block out everything in my head, and loud music, gyrating bodies, and thumping bass were all I cared about. That and having Denny close to me. My bliss lasted for what felt like hours.
The heat was building, as close to the center of the mob as we were. Denny made a drinking motion with his hand, since hearing someone in this noise was virtually impossible, indicating that he was ready for the next round. I playfully pushed him away and shook my head, not ready to give up my music-induced sanctuary. I kissed him swiftly and pointed to the ground, to let him know I would stay in this spot.