As I stood up and stuffed the underwear in my pocket, the rock stars finally showed up. I plugged my ears until the screaming died down. Holeshot came in first, Deacon, David, and Ray waving as they made their way to their assigned area along one long wall of the room. The fans clustered in the center of the room naturally shifted toward the band members. I had to smile at Deacon; he had his long hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. He always did this when he met with fans. He’d told me once that he’d lost a good chunk of hair to some over-eager admirers, so he was a little more careful now with his locks. David and Ray didn’t have that issue. David shaved his head completely bald, and Ray’s blond hair was about a quarter inch long.
The D-Bags appeared not long after Holeshot. I cringed and plugged my ears again for longer this time. Anna joined in with the fans’ catcalls as our boys took their spot on the wall next to Deacon and his band. Matt was blushing and looked horribly uncomfortable as he ran his hand through his spiky, blond hair in an obsessive-compulsive fashion. This part never was a favorite of his. I sympathized. I didn’t like being put on display either.
Evan was laid-back and comfortable as his warm brown eyes scanned the room packed with people. The flames on his forearms lined up perfectly as he crossed his arms over his chest; his grin was contagious. Griffin looked like he was the self-proclaimed ruler of this arena, and everyone in his presence was his faithful servant. He huffed into his hand, checking his breath, then rubbed his palms together and flashed a predatory smile, like some poor girl was about to lose her virtue tonight. I didn’t buy the act, though. Anna had somehow tamed the beast, at least for now.
Last but not least, there was Kellan. My husband was dressed for comfort, like he always was, in a plain black shirt and loose jeans that hugged him where they needed to. The simplicity of his outfit amplified the attractiveness of his face. Once a person recovered from the hint of an amazing physique hiding beneath his clothes, his eyes and smile commanded their attention—along with his hair. Couldn’t forget the impossible sexiness of his shaggy head of bedroom hair. Kellan’s face wore a look of simmering seduction as he scanned the crowd. I knew he was looking for me, but the fans between us seemed to think his intense blue eyes were scouring the throngs for a potential mate. And many of them looked more than willing to volunteer, even some of the really young ones, which was a little disturbing.
I giggled as I watched him look for me. I couldn’t wait to show him the surprise in my pocket.
With a small entourage swarming around her like bees following a pollen-filled flower, Sienna breezed into the packed room. According to Tory’s earlier speech, Sienna was supposed to be standing near the doors, the last stop of the fan locomotive. But Sienna didn’t seem to care about Tory’s carefully laid plans and purposely strode over to stand between Kellan and Matt, making a flushed Matt now the end of the line. Kellan looked over at Sienna, his expression blank. She smiled and bumped her shoulder against his in a display of friendly camaraderie. Cameras started snapping, eating up the playful antics of the beautiful couple that were madly and deeply in love with each other. Yeah, right.
I held my irritation in check as best I could. Sienna just couldn’t pass up a photo op with Kellan, and since he’d started rejecting formally posing with her, she’d started satisfying herself with candid shots. Anything to keep the public’s interest in her up. Obviously, Kellan hated the game she was playing and kept a polite distance from Sienna as she stood beside him.
Tory and the security team ushered the fans into a somewhat orderly long line, then started them moving in a wedding-style greeting with the band members, starting with Holeshot. Wanting to speak with Kellan about Underwear Fan, I ducked into the massive line with Anna.
The energy of the fans around me made me a little nervous as I approached the rock stars. That was ridiculous of course, since I’d seen all of them in their snoring, burping, and farting glory, but there’s something to be said for mob mentality. Deacon gave me a swift smile as I passed by him, and a small sliver of embarrassment flashed through me as I again remembered this morning. Oh well. It happened, no point in dwelling on it. When I got to Evan, he looked like he wanted to sling his arms around me and pull me into a bear hug. He didn’t, though. The tittering girls around me would take that display of affection as a free-for-all on the bands. Someone would surely get trampled—probably me.
Griffin was next in line and my nerves went up in smoke as he licked his lips, then kissed the air in front of me. I had to laugh at the display. He was crude as always, but not as bad as I’d once believed. When Anna stepped in front of him, bumping me into the crowd of people waiting for Kellan, Griffin held his hands out. “Whoa, hot pregnant chick, I need a pic with you.”
Anna rolled her eyes at him, but played along and pulled a small camera out of her bag. “I did come prepared,” she murmured.
Griffin raised his eyebrows at her in a suggestive way that used to make my skin crawl. “I bet you always come . . . prepared.”
Letting out a husky laugh, Anna rubbed her belly. “Except for one time.”
Griffin’s eyes softened as they shifted to his child. “Lucky fucker, whoever the father is.”