Effortless (Thoughtless, #2)

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I wanted to leer at her and mutter, “Yeah, you are,” but I wasn’t finished with my assigned drinks yet.

Kellan smiled at the cute girl next to me, but before my jealousy could really start to flare up, his gorgeous blue eyes turned to mine. Even my slow head could appreciate the beauty in those dark depths. Keeping his gaze on me, he told her, “No, go ahead, get her drunk.” Grinning devilishly, he added, “The odds of me getting lucky tonight will only increase if you do.”

I wanted to blush and be embarrassed, but really, I’d had far too much alcohol by this point. In-between sips, I laughed and tossed out, “Since when have you ever needed help with your odds?” Surprisingly, I only slurred that a little bit.

Kellan charmingly cocked an eyebrow at me while the table rolled with laughter. He’d sobered up a bit on the stage, but with how long he’d been playing this game with me, he had to be as buzzed as I was.

Smiling crookedly, he leaned forward on the table. “True…” he murmured drunkenly.

He was sitting kitty-corner to me at the massive table, but our feet were touching underneath it. The table was packed with people, the room was crammed with watchers, but as Kellan locked his simmering eyes to mine, and my body flared with heat in response…we may as well have been alone.

He ran his teeth along his bottom lip, the move so sexy I bit my own, then he dropped his voice to a seductive level that I usually only heard when he were alone, wrapped in each other’s bare arms. “But, maybe I could get you to do that one thing with your—” Suddenly remembering that we were not alone and wrapped in each other’s bare arms, I partially stood from the table, cutting him off.

“Kellan Kyle! You shut the hell up!”

He laughed and sat back in his chair. Quite a few people in the room laughed with him and I finally felt that blush creeping into my cheeks.

He shrugged and shook his head. “Just saying…” As I narrowed my eyes at him, making the room crack up even more, he tilted his head, 158



staring at me in an unmistakably loving way. “You’re such an adorable drunk, Kiera.”

Grinning, my mood shifting again, I finished standing up. He watched me curiously as I leaned over the table, completely pausing the drinking game as everyone stared at us. For once I didn’t care if they did. Kellan was my focus and I wanted him to kiss me…even if I had to crawl over the table to get to him.

Smiling at the image in my head, I crooked a finger at him. One edge of a lip curling up in a way that was dangerously attractive, he stood slightly and leaned over the table as well. Our lips met in the middle, my mouth parting as his tongue lightly brushed against me. My sloppy mind heard a few giggles and whistles, but Kellan’s soft skin took up all of my concentration. I nearly wanted him to lay me down on this damaged, beer-stained surface.

As I was considering yanking him over the table so his entire body could be on mine, a particular voice broke through the chaos. “All right!

We playing spin the bottle?”

Kellan and I broke apart at the same time and glared over at the annoyance who’d distracted us. As Griffin strode up to the table, I sup-pressed a sigh. Well, I knew he was here…it was really only a matter of time before he made an appearance. Glancing behind him, I noticed my sister leaning against a wall, a familiar, satisfied expression on her face. I instantly did not want to know where they’d been hiding.

As Griffin stood beside Kellan, clapping a hand on his back, Kellan fully stood and shook his head. “No, we’re not, Griffin.” Ignoring him, Griffin reached down to the table. Finding an empty beer bottle, he laid it on its side and spun it in a circle. The table instantly started laughing at the new aspect being introduced to our game.

With everyone chuckling around us, I sat back down, blushing. I hadn’t played spin the bottle since the eighth grade, and I was pretty sure I didn’t want to ever play it with Griffin. Even my frazzled brain knew that much. The brunette beside me bit her lip as she stared at Kellan; I knew exactly where she was hoping her turn would land her. I had 159



no intention of letting her wish be fulfilled. Breech of party etiquette or not, no one was kissing Kellan tonight but me.

Griffin had an eager look on his face as he watched the brown bottle start to spin slower. As the room quieted in anticipation, I glanced over at Kellan; he was still standing in front of his seat, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Griffin with a smirk on his face. I wondered if Kellan was just as against anyone kissing me as I was about anyone kissing him.

I wondered what he’d do if the bottle stopped on me? Oh God, what would I do if the bottle stopped on me? Griffin wouldn’t let it go with a simple refusal. Even if he had to hunt me down, he’d stop at nothing to get his kiss.

Just when I was about to gather all of my slow senses together so I could make a bolt for the back door, the bottle stopped spinning and the room started laughing…hysterically. I couldn’t figure out why until I looked down at the bottle, then I started laughing hysterically too. It had finally stopped moving with the neck pointed perfectly…at Kellan.

Kellan was twisting his lips unhappily as he stared down at it, then he suddenly looked back up at Griffin who was still staring at the bottle, maybe thinking it was going to move again. Griffin looked up at Kellan when Kellan shook his head and said, “Nuh-uh.” The table laughed even harder and so did I, my eyes starting to water as I clutched my stomach.

Matt and Evan sauntered up to see what all the fuss was about while Griffin scowled, then shrugged. “Sorry, man. House rules, you play the bottle where it lies.”

Kellan shook his head again while Evan and Matt joined in the laughter bouncing off the walls in the room. “Griff, we’re not playing—” Kellan couldn’t finish his sentence. Griffin reached out and grabbed his head, pulling him in for a kiss…and not a peck. Kellan struggled for a second, then managed to break free. He took a step back with his hand raised at Griffin in warning. Several people around the table had to wipe tears of laughter out of their eyes, me included. I guess I was wrong about no one else kissing Kellan tonight.

“Dude! What the fuck!”