Kellan frowned, but nodded. Tilting his head over his shoulder, he murmured, “I’m gonna go blow off some steam. Find me when you’re done.” A tight smile graced his lips. “And don’t feel like you need to go easy on her either.”
I put my hand on his cheek, and Kellan swiftly kissed my wrist. My skin was tingling as he walked away. How he could still physically affect me after all this time, I’d never fully understand. But I was very grateful.
Steeling my nerve, I walked into Sienna’s dressing room and shut the door behind me. Standing with her back to me, she started to twist around with a dramatic sigh. “What is bothering you now, Kellan, dear?” When she finished her circle and her dark eyes noted the lack of my husband, she murmured, “Just you, then?”
“I asked Kellan if I could speak with you alone.”
Sienna seemed amused by my statement. Placing her hands on her slim hips, she asked me, “Are you going to threaten me with bodily harm if I don’t stay away from your man?” Her charming accent shifted to a deep Texan drawl.
Honestly, I hadn’t fully considered what I wanted to say to her. But variations of those exact words may have filtered into my brain in the last few seconds, only to be immediately discarded. Violence wasn’t the answer here.
Knowing that any response to her question would put her on the defensive, I decided to ignore it. “Have you ever been in love?” I asked, my voice soft and disarming.
Sienna blinked, her long, fake eyelashes nearly brushing her cheeks. “I don’t have time for love . . .” The way her voice trailed off, I highly doubted her answer.
Feeling like I had something to work with, I took a tentative step toward her. “Well, Kellan and I are in love, deeply in love. We’ve been through a lot together, and he’s been through a lot alone. And this ‘relationship’ that’s been produced between the two of you is very unsettling. He loves what he does. He adores the fans and the music. But this hoopla is making him miserable. Don’t you care that he’s unhappy?”
Sienna stared at me impassively. I couldn’t gauge whether she cared about Kellan’s well-being or not. I liked to believe that she did. After all, they were friends sort of. Finally, she raised a cool eyebrow. “I’m not hurting him in any way, nor have I crossed his line about kissing him on the lips.”
I sighed. She was going to make this difficult.
When I opened my mouth to speak, Sienna beat me to it. “I respect you for coming in here. I do genuinely like you and Kellan, but make no mistake about it: My career comes first, and I will do whatever it takes to stay on top, even harmlessly flirt with a married man.” She rolled her eyes. I wasn’t sure if that was because of the harmless part, or the married part. Both concepts seemed ridiculous to her.
I grit my jaw and prepared myself to storm out of the room. I knew that talking to her wasn’t a viable option. She didn’t care if Kellan felt manipulated and used. She cared that her album hit number one. It had been released just a few weeks before Kellan’s, and had yet to reach that elusive goal.
“I’m sorry I’ve wasted your time. I just wanted to have a civil conversation with you about Kellan. Maybe come up with a solution so that everyone can be happy, since you did say you wanted this arrangement to work. But I see that you only care about what he can do for you, so I’ll leave you alone so you can bask in your own glory.”
I spun on my heel and Sienna grabbed my elbow. Her dark eyes bored into me. “You’re both overreacting,” she snapped. “It’s the reality of being in the public eye. At least I’m trying to help Kellan’s career as well as my own. If I were truly as selfish as you believe me to be, than Kellan would be in my bed right now, not yours. But I haven’t made a play for him because I respect your relationship.”
I scowled at her, hating that she thought she could win him so easily. She couldn’t. Kellan’s heart was fixed on me.
Releasing my arm, she relaxed and her tone softened. I found myself relaxing as well. “This media circus that he hates so much is going to happen regardless of my interference.” She smiled, and a trace of warmth finally appeared on her face. “In case you haven’t noticed, Kellan is very attractive. And on top of his looks, he’s also very talented. That combination has the uncanny ability of reducing the most sophisticated woman into a trembling teenager. I think even a happily married woman would consider shucking it all for one night with him.”
A soft laugh escaped me. Yeah, I had to agree with that one. Kellan was just . . . desirable.
Sienna put her hand on my arm, almost in comfort. “Get used to it now, while he’s safely in my hands, because he’s going to be linked with every female that he comes in contact with from here on out. It’s just how the business works.”
My heart sank, but I knew she was right. “But it’s different with your fans. More intense. They’ve turned you into a power couple . . . Kell-Sex.”