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"No, I'm not. . . but-"
"But?" He pulled back to look at me breathlessly, his blue eyes blazing with desire and now, irritation. "You do realize, that if you keep doing this to my body, I will never be able to have children?" he snipped.
I laughed at his unintentionally amusing remark. He pulled back more and frowned at me. "I'm glad you find that funny. . . "
Still chuckling, I ran a finger down his cheek, eventually making him smile. "If we are going to do this. . . if I'm going to be with you," I looked around at the dirty floor we were lying on, "it's not going to be on the floor in the backroom of Pete's. "
He frowned, then immediately reversed it and kissed me softly. "Now you object to being with me on a dirty floor?" he whispered.
I laughed again at his reference to our tryst in the coffee stand, and at hearing his humor return. It had been a long time since I had heard that too.
He kissed me again then pulling back, forced a frown on his face. "Did you. . . did you just get me to pour my heart out to you. . . so you could get me naked again?" He raised an eyebrow at me charmingly.
I laughed again and gently grabbed his face in my hands. "God, I missed you. I missed that. "
"Missed what?" he asked quietly, gazing back at me and softly stroking my bare stomach.
"You. . . your humor, your smile, your touch, your. . . everything. " I gazed back at him warmly.
His face got serious. "I missed you so much, Kiera. "
I nodded, swallowing the emotion in my throat, and he kissed me softly again. Suddenly, he pulled back and eyeing me half naked beneath him, bit his lip and raised an eyebrow. "You know. . . there are other options for this room besides the floor. "
"Really?" I asked, enjoying his playfulness.
"Yeah. . . " He looked around the room, smiling. "Table. . . chair. . . shelf. . . " he looked down at me, his grin suddenly devilish, "wall?"
I laughed and stroked my hand down his chest, marveling at how quickly my emotions around Kellan could change. Hadn't we just been at each other's throats, and now we were intimately joking around. "Just kiss me. " I shook my head at him.
"Yes, ma'am. " He smiled and started kissing me deeply. "Tease," he muttered, moving his lips to my neck.
"Whore," I muttered back, grinning and kissing the cheek I had ruthlessly slapped earlier. He laughed huskily in response and moved his lips to the base of my throat.
A persistent soft knock drifted through the room, but Kellan and I both ignored it.
"Hmmm. . . " I closed my eyes as he lightly ran his tongue up my throat. God, I loved that.
He was bringing his tongue up and over my chin when the annoying knocking that we had both been ignoring, suddenly became a door swinging open. I gasped and tilted my head up, my heart racing. Kellan raised his head to look at the door.
"Jesus, Evan. . . you scared the shit out of me!" Kellan said, laughing.
I didn't feel like laughing, this was not how I wanted someone to walk in on me. To his credit, Evan was covering his eyes. He immediately closed the door behind him and looked away. "Uh, sorry, man. I know you two are. . . uh, I need to talk to you, Kellan. "
Evan seemed really embarrassed, but he couldn't be any more embarrassed than me. Kellan laid over me, protectively shielding me from his view, not that he was looking in our direction. "Your timing kind of stinks, man. " He frowned at him.
Unintentionally, Evan flicked a glance at us and immediately looked away again. I clutched Kellan tighter, wanting to be anywhere but here. "Sorry. . . but you're going to thank my timing in about ten seconds. "
Kellan smiled widely. "Really, Evan, can't this wait, like ten-" I nudged his ribs and he looked down at me, then back up at him, "twenty minutes?" I unintentionally giggled.
"Denny's here," Evan stated.
I stopped giggling. "What?" I asked quietly.
Kellan sat up, straddling me. "Shit," he said quietly. He handed me my shirt and I quickly slipped it on. He stayed on my lap, thinking.
Evan finally looked over at us without looking away. "Unless you want tonight to get. . . even more interesting, Kiera needs to leave, and you need to stay and talk to me. "
Kellan started nodding and finding his shirt, slipped it back on. "Thank you. . . . " he said, looking back up at Evan.
Evan half-smiled. "See. . . I knew you'd thank me. "
I felt ice cold as Kellan finally got off my lap and helped me get up. We adjusted our clothes and I started having trouble breathing. Kellan put a hand on my shoulder. "It's fine. . . it will be fine. "
Panic flared through me. "But the whole bar. . . they all saw that, they'll be talking. He'll know something. "
Kellan shook his head. "He'll know we had a fight. . . that's it. " He looked over at Evan, who looked impatient for me to leave. "You should go, before he comes back here looking for you. "
"Okay. . . "
"Kiera. . . " He grabbed my arm as I turned to leave, then he pulled me in for one long, last kiss.
I was breathless when I went out into the hallway.
Chapter 20
New Chapter
Luckily, the hallway was empty. I quickly ducked into the ladies' room, which was also empty. The panic abated and I sank to the floor and put my head on my arms. That had been too close. If that had been Denny and not Evan? My stomach clenched at the thought. If I was going to leave Denny, it wasn't going to be with him finding out like that. Was I really going to leave Denny for Kellan? I loved Denny, I didn't want to leave him. . . but. . . Kellan's arms had felt so good around me again. I knew that I wasn't going to say no to him anymore. I needed him too much. Maybe it could work with both of them? I smiled and held my fingers to my lips, remembering Kellan's tender kiss. Did Kellan really love me? Did I love him? That thought thrilled and terrified me. Could I really handle having an irrefutable affair? Could Kellan? Could Denny?
Opening the door, I peered down the hall. Still empty. . . good. I glanced over at the mirror and decided I didn't look like I had almost been with Kellan. . . again. . . and sighing, turned and left the small room.
My eyes instinctually went over to the band's table as I reentered the bar. I frowned, no Kellan. Was he still in the back room with Evan? I couldn't worry about it, as I was getting icy stares from several customers, who looked none too happy about my prolonged absence and also. . . Denny was approaching me, a little cautiously.
I hoped for a moment that maybe no one had told Denny anything yet, but over the low rumble of voices in the bar, I heard Griffin loudly yell, "Yeah, Kiera, woooo - nice bitch slap!" I saw Matt smack him hard in the chest, and heard him mutter, "What? Fucker probably deserved it. "
I closed my eyes and cursed the stupid, loudmouthed ass. Seriously, what did my sister see in him?
"Kiera?" Denny's soft accent made me open my eyes. "Everything okay? The whole bar has been going on and on about you hitting Kellan?" His brow was scrunched in concern, his eyes reflecting the same.
Walking by him, I grabbed his hand and made my way to the bar, stalling for time. What do I tell him? Kellan never told me what to say. My earlier irritation at Griffin actually sparked an idea, and without carefully thinking it over, I spit out, "The jerk slept with Anna when she was here, then never called her again. . . broke her heart. "
Denny stopped walking alongside me and I stopped walking. . . and breathing. "Oh," was all he said. His brow didn't soften though, and I had no idea if he believed me or not.
"I couldn't take him using her like that, and then. . . all the women he's been bringing home. It was just so disrespectful to her. And tonight he was practically getting a lap dance, and I guess I just - lost it. I. . . defended her honor, in a way. "
"Oh," he said again, then his brow softened and he smiled softly. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier? I would have talked to him about that. "
I relaxed and started breathing regularly again. "I.
. . I told her I wouldn't tell anybody. "
"Really?" he asked, suddenly curious. "The way she was hanging all over him, I figured she'd spray-paint it on the walls. " He shrugged. "Your sister is quite the character. " He leaned over and kissed my cheek. "Can you please let me do the fighting from now on?"
I giggled nervously and squeezed his hand tighter. Was he really going to buy that? "Yeah, yeah, no problem. " I gave him a swift kiss. "My customers probably aren't happy with me. I should get back to work. "
He laughed. "They probably loved dinner with a show. Speaking of dinner. . . I'm starving, I think I'll grab something here. " He laughed again and hugged me tight. "I love you, Kiera. " He was still chuckling as he made his way to a table. . . the band's table.
I felt like I might be sick.
I didn't know what Evan was talking to Kellan about in the backroom, but he was in there for over an hour. When they did eventually come out, Kellan kept his head down, and quite sheepishly left the bar. He never so much as glanced at me. I was offended by that at first, but, as I noticed the gossiping whispers around me, I decided that if we'd just had the major fight that the bar patrons think we had. . . and I suppose, in a way we did, then his reaction was probably the correct one.
He stayed away the remainder of the night. Luckily, Denny accepted my version of the story, and didn't ask the band about it. When I gave him his dinner later, they were all happily chatting about some sports game that was on last night. Denny smiled at me and leaned in for a kiss, which I immediately gave him. I couldn't help but look at Evan when I did that, the compromising position that he had walked in on, still blazing in my mind. Apparently, it was in his as well. He glanced over at me too, and blushed a little bit. I avoided looking at him for the rest of the evening.
Denny left shortly after his dinner, and I had to endure a few more hours of huddled whispers from the customers, that quickly silenced at my approach, as I finished out my shift. I hoped none of them were piecing things together to accurately. I didn't need anyone letting something slip to Denny.
Jenny offered me a ride home. I thanked her for always doing that, and also for her help with Kellan earlier. We were walking across the lot to her car when I stopped in my tracks, my heart suddenly in my throat. Jenny noticed and stared over at what had my rapt attention. Kellan's car was parked across the street and he was outside of it, leaning against the door with his arms crossed on his chest. A smile spread over his face when he saw me notice him.
My heartbeat doubled at seeing him. Jenny sighed, and I looked over at her pleadingly. "All right. . . go. If anyone asks, I'll say we went for a late coffee and lost track of time or something. "
I grinned and hugged her tight. "Thank you, Jenny. "
She grabbed my arm as I started to leave. "I'm only doing this once, Kiera. " She shook her head lightly, her pale blue eyes narrowing a bit. "I won't be involved in hiding an affair. "
I swallowed and nodded, feeling horribly guilty. "I'm so sorry. I never should have dragged you into all of this. "
She looked at me thoughtfully as she released my arm. "You should pick one, Kiera. Pick one, and release the other. You can't keep them both. "
I nodded and swallowed the painful lump in my throat at that thought. I watched Jenny for a second, as she waved briefly at Kellan, and then made her way to her car. Then I nearly sprinted across the street to him.
He smiled warmly at my approach and taking my hand, led me to the other side of the car, where he sweetly helped me inside. I was glad to see his departure from the bar was just an act, and he didn't seem to have any problems being around me. As I watched him cross the front of the car, our horrid fight much earlier in the evening started replaying itself in my head, and a certain section of it just wasn't leaving me.
I forced a frown on my face as he slid into the car, closing the door gently behind him. Kellan eyed me curiously. "What? I haven't been around you for hours. " He smiled wryly. "What could I have possibly done?" he purred.
Keeping my face frozen in disapproval, I stated, "I've been dwelling on something you did earlier. . . for hours. "