Thoughtless

Chapter 15

Clubbing

"Oh...holy...f*ck!" Griffin muttered as he smacked Matt, who happened to be sitting next to him at their table, across the chest. "Dude, I'm in love. Look at that piece of ass!"

Knowing Griffin's types, I studiously ignored him while I handed the guys their beers. I glanced at Kellan from the corner of my eye the whole time. He was glancing at me from the corner of his too. He looked...resigned. I had worried about how Kellan would be towards me today, after our conversation this morning in the kitchen. But he had given me a ride to school like normal, picked me up like normal and driven me to work, all just like normal...if a little more quietly. I had told him it wasn't necessary, and he had given me the look. You know, the look that clearly says, 'don't be ridiculous, of course I'll still take you where you need to go...since we're friends and all'. Well, that's what the look had said to me anyway.

I was wondering what he was currently thinking about, when I noticed Griffin grin stupidly and sit up a little in his chair. I looked over at him curiously when suddenly hands covered my eyes.

"Guess who?"

I pulled down the hands and spun around. "Anna?" I pulled my sister in for a hug. "Oh my god! We were supposed to pick you up from the airport tomorrow. What are you doing here?"

She looked at me briefly then her eyes drifted over to Kellan, sitting casually at the table near her, watching us. "I couldn't wait...hopped an earlier flight."

Ignoring who her gaze was focused on, and Griffin's impatient cough (he obviously wanted an introduction), I stepped back to look at her. My crazy, impulsive sister - she looked exactly the same. We had nearly identical heart-shaped faces, with high cheek bones and our Mom's perky nose, but that was where the similarities stopped. She was tall, almost as tall as Denny actually, and she emphasized that with slinky, black high heels. She was voluptuous, where I was more...athletic, and she also emphasized that with an absurdly tight, red dress. Inwardly I sighed; she looked like she had just walked off a runway, not an airplane.


Her lips were perfectly full and painted a bright red, the same shade as her dress. Her eyes were a deep, constant green, where my hazel ones seemed to continually change color. Where my dark brown hair was wavy and unmanageable, hers, so dark brown in color it was almost black, was so luxuriously shiny, that it rippled like water when she moved. Currently, she had half of it effortlessly pulled up in a clip. The hair that loosely spilled around her shoulders was streaked with red as bright as her dress.

I picked up a strand of the bright red locks. Well, not everything about my sister was the same. "This is new. I like it." I smiled at her.

She shrugged, still gazing at Kellan, who was annoyingly gazing right back at her. "I dated a hairdresser..." she turned to look at me with a charming grin on her face, "...for like, an hour." I heard Griffin behind me groan indecently.

I sighed inwardly again. My sister was adventurous and provocative. She was everything I was not. She was the one that my parents could never seem to mention, without adding glowing adjectives like beautiful, gorgeous, and stunning. Although the end of their sentences usually involved the phrase, "What did she do now?" She was much too attractive and alluring, and now I had to introduce her to my equally attractive and alluring roommate.

"Guys, this is my sister-"

"Anna," she interrupted, holding her hand out to Kellan warmly. My sister was anything but shy.

"Kellan," he responded politely, shaking her hand for an annoyingly long time.

Griffin abruptly stood up and took her hand away from Kellan. Mentally, I actually thanked him. "Griffin...hey." My sister giggled attractively and said hello.

Matt and Evan politely introduced themselves, while I felt a little stupid, realizing that she didn't need me here to make introductions for her. She was doing just fine on her own. Kellan watched me curiously as I blushed. Anna smiled, and said hello to Matt and Evan, perfectly at ease with this group of good-looking guys that she'd just met.

Griffin grabbed a chair, forcefully taking it from a nearby customer, and plopped it down at the end of the table near him. He patted the seat and Anna smiled and thanked him. Then she scooted the chair to the other side of the table to sit beside Kellan. Matt and Evan both chuckled quietly. Griffin and I scowled in exactly the same way, but my sister didn't notice. Her attention was all on Kellan as she moved the chair so that it touched his. She gracefully sat down, and smiling charmingly, leaned against his side. He irritatingly grinned back at her.

I hated this already. She had been here a whole of maybe ten minutes and I was already wishing she would leave. I felt a little guilty about that. I did love my sister. I just didn't want to see her all over Kellan. We may have ended our...flirtations, but, well...it bothered me. He had better honor his promise.

"Well, I've got to get back to work. I'll bring you a drink, Anna."

"Okay." She never looked back at me. "Oh, some guy named Sam put my jacket and bags in the backroom."

I sighed at what my sister could get men to do for her. "Okay, I'll call Denny. He can give you a ride home."

She looked back at me and winked. "I think I can manage." She looked back to Kellan. "So...you're a singer, huh?" She eyed him up and down. "What else can you do?" She laughed huskily while he grinned again.

I hurriedly walked away. Like it or not, I was calling Denny, and he was giving her a ride to our house. I quickly phoned him and explained what had happened. He laughed at my sister's exuberance and said he could swing by in a couple hours. He had to finish up a project for Max first. I was pretty sure his "project" was something ridiculously not-important for late on a Friday evening. Filing or something.

My sister was invested in a conversation with Kellan when I came back with a vodka-cran, her preferred drink. They were chatting easily while Griffin tried to interject as much as possible. She looked over and thanked me for the drink, then immediately looked back at Kellan while I frowned. Kellan peered up at me from the corner of his eye. He seemed amused, that I was not amused.

Throughout my shift, I watched her flirt with Kellan. He didn't seem to encourage her advances or make any advances of his own, but he didn't discourage her advances either. All the while they were talking, she would brush hair from his forehead, touch his shoulder, graze her arm against his leg. She was subtle, but also, not subtle. He would say something amusing to her and she would laugh, tilting her head to the side. Then she'd seductively bite her lip and run a finger lightly along her low neckline, while continuing her throaty chuckle. Griffin was as irritated at that display as I was. I never thought I'd feel the same way about anything as Griffin.

When I came up a bit later to tell the band they were set to go on, Anna had her hand brazenly high on his inner thigh, and he seemed perfectly fine with that.

"Time's up, Kellan." The words came out harshly, and my sister looked at me oddly. I fixed my face into what I thought was a passable smile and explained to her. "They need to go onstage and play now." Kellan smiled at my forced tone, highly amused.

"Oh...great!" my sister beamed, and I wished Denny would hurry up and get here already.

As the D-Bags climbed up on stage, my sister forcefully made her way through the quickly swarming crowd to a place directly in front of Kellan's microphone. He irritatingly smiled down at her while the guys got set up. I frowned, but couldn't watch anymore, as customers started demanding my attention. Where the heck was Denny?

Denny finally arrived at the bar, halfway through the guys set. Anna had been enjoying the show, a little too much for my taste, and Kellan had his bedroom eyes on her, and the half dozen women around her, for most of it. I was not in a good mood when Denny finally walked through the doors.

"Where have you been?" I snipped.

He looked at me oddly and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I told you I had to finish work first." He glanced over to where Anna was reaching up to Kellan, and he was annoyingly reaching back towards her. "She seems to be enjoying herself anyway." He laughed once and smirked.

I closed my eyes and swallowed my irritation. Reopening them, I caught him watching me curiously. "Why don't you take her home now. Her stuff is in the backroom."

Still looking at me with a curious expression, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Okay." He relaxed his expression then and slid his arms around my waist. "I missed you." His eyes sparkled as a warm smile crossed his face.

I relaxed and smiled back at him. "I missed you too." I kissed him softly. He pulled me tight and started to deepen the kiss, when I pulled away. "I'm sorry, we're really busy. Can you please take her home now? I'm sure she's tired after her trip." I shrugged lamely, as I stepped away from his embrace.

Denny looked back to the stage where Anna was jumping around with the girls around her, clamoring for the rock-god before them. "Yeah, she looks...wiped." He grinned back at me but I frowned in response. He sighed. "Okay. I'll put her stuff in the car, then drag her home."

I smiled and kissed him softly again. "Thank you."

He went to the back and got her things, then came back inside and attempted to fight his way through the thickening crowd. Once he got to her, I watched him place a hand on her shoulder. My sister looked over at him, and then smiling widely, flung herself into his arms. I couldn't help the chuckle that came out, at the look on Denny's face. He seemed a little unsure if it was okay to hug this beautiful woman (who was clinging to every part of him) back. I smiled at his faithfulness...which, of course, made me frown, as I glanced up to Kellan on the stage. He was watching Anna and Denny with an amused grin while he sang. Suddenly his eyes flicked up to mine, and I was trapped by his deep blue depths and alluring voice.


I was held in his gaze and unable to look away, when I suddenly felt a light hand on my shoulder. I startled and looked over at Denny. He'd apparently walked back from the stage in the time I had been entranced by Kellan.

"Sorry, she won't leave with me." He shrugged, like he wasn't too surprised by that.

"She what?" I took a couple of calming breaths, and hoped that Denny hadn't noticed what had held my attention for so long.

"She wants to listen to the rest of the set." He shrugged again. "Do you want me to stay? Give you guys a ride home?" He tucked a lock of hair that had fallen from my ponytail behind my ear.

I sighed, irritated and relieved. "Yeah...thank you." At least she wouldn't be riding home with Kellan.

Of course, I had forgotten how tenacious my sister could be when she wanted something...and apparently, she wanted Kellan. No big surprise there. I had been pretty sure that she would want him once she got around him. He was kind of hard to resist. I sighed as I watched her slide casually into his car at the end of the night. Denny chuckled lightly as he watched her as well. I had been too busy finishing up work to stop her from leaving the bar with Kellan. They were just getting into his car when I finally walked out the door with Denny. What had they been doing for so long out here? Irritation flared in me again, as their car pulled out of the lot. Kellan better drive her straight home.

Fortunately for him...he did. His Chevelle was in the driveway when we pulled up beside it. I quickly walked through the front door, finding them sitting on the couch together, bent over in conversation. What were they always talking about? They both looked over at me as I walked into the living room. Irritation flashed through me, yet again, at the sight of Anna's hand all the way up his thigh. Really, why couldn't she keep her hands to herself?

Denny walked in a moment later and slipped his arms around me.

"So..." Anna smiled alluringly at Kellan, "where am I sleeping tonight?"

Kellan half-smiled at her and started to reply, when I butted in. "You're sleeping with me, Anna." I looked over at Denny, while Anna frowned and Kellan stifled a laugh. "Do you mind sleeping on the couch?"

Denny twisted his lips unhappily. "The couch?" He looked at the ragged, lumpy couch even more unhappily. "Really?"

My eyes surely as cool as my voice, I said, "Well, if you prefer, you can sleep with Kellan." My tone indicated that that was his only other option. Anna was sleeping with me, where I could make sure she stayed there, all night long.

Denny raised an eyebrow at me, while Kellan laughed and said, "I'm just warning you now - I kick."

"Couch it is," Denny grumbled and went upstairs to get a blanket.

Anna brightened. "You know, I could sleep with-"

I grabbed her hand and pulled her off the couch. "Come on." I pulled her up the stairs with me, leaving an entirely too amused Kellan, watching me herd her away from him.

I didn't sleep a wink. My sister had gotten ready for bed after me, and as I couldn't exactly justify standing in the hallway, watching over her like some overprotective father keeping an eye on his daughter's virtue, I had to lie in bed and grit my teeth while I listened as carefully as I could. I swear at some point I had heard Kellan's laughter, and it took everything I had to not rush out there and drag her to bed, kicking and screaming.

Eventually, she entered the dark room and snuggled down on Denny's side, cheerily saying goodnight to me. I ignored it, feigning sleep. I'm not sure why. Needless to say, sleep was impossible. I was hyper aware of every movement she made. Was she twisting in her sleep, or was she shifting to get up and have a secret rendezvous with Kellan in his room while everyone slept? It drove me crazy all night long and I didn't know how I was going to get through another night of this. Maybe I'd make Kellan go to Matt's after all.

But morning finally did come, and hearing Kellan's door open, since I was wide awake, I followed shortly after and joined him downstairs for coffee. I paused at the bottom step to glance at Denny lying on the couch. He was sound asleep, but he really didn't look very comfortable. I felt a twinge of guilt that I'd made him sleep there. Oh well, I could make it up to him later.

Kellan didn't seem surprised to see me, as I rounded the corner into the kitchen. He gave me a knowing smile as he looked over at me, pouring some fresh water into the coffee pot as he did. "Mornin', sleep okay?" The amusement in his question was all too clear to me.

"I slept fine." Yeah, right. "You?"

Starting the machine, he turned to lean back on the counter. "Like a baby."

I grit my teeth and forced a smiled as I sat at the table and waited for the coffee to brew.

"Your sister is...interesting," he said after a minute.

I frowned up at him but said nothing, wondering if he was going to elaborate on that. He didn't. I flushed deeply and he watched my reaction curiously. "Yes...she is." I didn't elaborate either.

The coffee finished brewing and he prepared our two cups. We sat and drank them in silence...and not a completely comfortable silence either. Well, he looked completely comfortable, and disastrously perfect, but I was agitated...and agitated at being agitated. I really needed to calm down.

After finishing my coffee, I was leaning against the archway, staring at Denny's sleeping form on the couch in a near trance. I came out of it when my sister came into the kitchen, wearing a Douchebags t-shirt...and nothing else. I mentally thanked fate that Kellan had disappeared back up to his room, shortly after finishing his coffee. She was entirely too attractive for just having woken up.

"Where did you get that?" I said, astonished. It had taken weeks for Kellan to...well, literally give me the one off of his back. Did she just bat her stupidly-long eyelashes at him, and he stripped for her too? I felt oddly betrayed by that.

"Griffin...after the show. He's got a box full of them in his van. Do you want one?" She smiled sweetly at me and I instantly felt guilty for thinking badly of her.

"No...I have one." One that still smelled amazingly like Kellan, so I never actually wore it - not that I was ever going to mention that to her. "You should put some more clothes on though. Denny will be awake soon." It really wasn't Denny that I was worried about staring at her in that all too alluring outfit.

"Oh, sorry, sure thing. So...is Kellan awake?" she asked, almost demurely.

I sighed. "Yes, I think he went back to his room."

"Oh." She smiled and looked up at the ceiling, to where his room was. "Did he mention me at all?"

I hated that I suddenly felt like I was playing matchmaker, but I told her the truth anyway. "Yeah, he said you were interesting."

She frowned slightly. "Hmmm...That's not exactly what I'm used to hearing. I suppose it could be worse though." She smiled and turned to head back upstairs. "I'll just have to step up my game plan." She winked and left the room.

I sat heavily at the table and sighed again. Was it Sunday yet?

Anna wanted to do a little shopping in the area while she was in town, so we borrowed Denny's car and she drove us to Bellevue Square (she was a much better stick shift driver than I was). We were walking through Macy's when she found this tiny black dress and decided to try it on for tonight. Of course, it looked amazing on her. It was a simple tank top dress, but it hugged every inch of her perfectly...and it was really, really short. I could never pull off an outfit like that. I'd feel too self conscious about the world seeing my underwear, to even try to pull off an outfit like that. My sister looked completely comfortable as she spun around in the dressing room though. She could have been wearing her favorite comfy sweats with how breezy she looked.


On our way to check out, we wandered through the cologne section. I stopped when I found the scent Denny liked to wear. Grabbing a tester, I inhaled it deeply - it immediately brought him to mind. My sister rolled her eyes, but smiled at me as she started grabbing a few and sniffing them.

"What cologne does Kellan wear?" she asked, as she sniffed bottle after bottle, a slight frown on her face.

I froze at the mention of his name. Why would she think I knew that? "I don't know...why?" I had actually wondered that myself.

She smiled widely as she looked over at me. "He smells amazing. Haven't you ever noticed that?"

I had. "No."

She snorted, which on her was oddly endearing. "Kiera, I know your gloriously content with Denny..." she gave me a dry look, "but for the sake of all womankind...when life throws yumminess in your lap," she smiled widely again and grabbed a bottle, inhaling it, "take a whiff." Putting the bottle back, she laughed and grinned devilishly, in a way that reminded me painfully of Kellan. "And if necessary...a lick or two."

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 f*ck-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 Kellan 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.

He fought his way back through the crowd, the women watching him as he passed. I sighed and shook my head as he rounded the corner to the bar. Yes, my man was beautiful, and completely unaware of it. I closed my eyes and focused on the music, happy and content. Mindless.

I froze when a strong, familiar hand came up behind me and floated up under my slinky shirt, to rest on my bare stomach. My eyes flashed open, but I didn't need to turn and look. I knew his touch only too well, instantly recognized the fire burning in my belly. In my happiness, I had almost forgotten Kellan was still here. Had he been watching? I was beyond shocked that he would make a move after we'd ended things, and with Denny and Anna here? He pulled me back into his hip and we moved together suggestively with the music. What had been fun and innocent with Denny, was now so much more intense. I felt naked.

The heat in the room seemed to double. I could feel a bead of sweat form between my shoulder blades and start to roll down the exposed skin of my low-cut back. His free hand brushed aside a few strands of hair on my neck, that had fallen from where the rest was pulled back, sending electricity shooting through my spine. He bent down and slowly brushed the bead of sweat away with his tongue, following the salty trail up past my shoulder blades, to the back of my neck, biting the skin very, very softly. I inhaled sharply, my vision swam. Damn...

Apparently, since we had completely ended things, all innocent pretensions went out the window. Not good. I needed to stop this.

Against my will though, I closed my eyes again and melted into him. One of my hands rested on his hand over my stomach, the other wrapped around behind him, to rest on his hip. My breathing sped as I rested my head back against his chest. His hand on my stomach moved down fractionally, his thumb resting on the button of my jeans. It was enough to make me gasp and I interlaced our fingers and clenched his hand. I wanted to run, I wanted to claw my way through the crowd and find Denny, return to my sanctuary, get away from the scorching sensation Kellan drove throughout my body. But that was in my mind. My body shivered, my hand on his hip ran down the front of his thigh, and my head...slowly turned around towards him.


His other hand grabbed my chin, and roughly pulled my lips to his. I moaned, the sound lost in the driving music. Weeks of escalating flirting, tempting each other with our touching, our bodies, and our lips, but never caving to the wanton desire between us, had left me craving him more than I had realized. I couldn't press against his lips hard enough, my whole body burned with the need of it. I couldn't even think of stopping him now.

His lips parted and his tongue touched the roof of my mouth. Fire erupted throughout my whole body. I lost even more of the fragile hold on my control. I spun in his hands, turning to face him, and pressed myself completely into his embrace, never breaking the connection of our lips, never opening my eyes. My heart racing even harder, I threw my hands up and knotted them in the back of his thick hair. His hands ran up my bare back, under my shirt, and pulled me even closer. We were already both panting in-between the brief breaks in our lips.

The heat, the throbbing music, his strong hands, his fast breath, his scent, his taste, his soft lips and exploring tongue - all of it was driving me insane. One of his hands ran down my backside, and he grabbed my upper thigh, pulling my leg slightly up his hip. From that position, it was painfully obvious how much Kellan wanted me. I groaned, wanting him right that minute as well. My eyes opened and I pulled away from his lips, resting my head against his and panting softly. My hands automatically started unbuttoning his shirt, uncharacteristically not caring where we were. His eyes burned, watching me intently.

Some of the women around us had noticed Kellan, and were watching him lasciviously. So far, no one seemed to care how intimate we had become, or were about to become. He closed his eyes and roughly exhaled when I was halfway done with his shirt. He gripped my body tight and crushed his lips back down to mine. We couldn't stay here like this for much longer. It was like I was a different person, being absorbed into his passion. I didn't know what to do, didn't know how to stop myself from making this far too graphic for such a public place. I wanted him to take me somewhere...anywhere.

I had two buttons left on his shirt, when he suddenly roughly pushed me away from him. Then he turned to melt into the crowd, his face breathless, but unreadable. I panted, confused, and attempted to catch my breath.

That was when I felt Denny grab my hand and pull me into him. I hadn't noticed his return. Did he see anything? Did I look different to him? I searched his eyes, but they only looked happy to see me. He must have written off the sweat and breathlessness to the dancing.

Then I did something that would later haunt me. I pressed into Denny, grabbing his face roughly in my hands and kissing him - hard. Excitement coursed through my body, as in my mind's eye, I pictured being with Kellan again. Denny reacted with surprise for half a second, then returned my kiss eagerly. Disgusted with myself, I could not stop kissing him, wanting him, needing him - knowing all too well, that while Denny was with me physically, that was not who I was ravishing. From somewhere in the club, I could feel eyes burning into me.

"Take me home," I moaned into his ear.

Much, much later, I sat up in bed, naked, and glanced over at Denny's sleeping form next to me. Guilt washed through me. If he ever knew what I had just done...who I had just mentally replaced him with... I tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry. Suddenly desperately thirsty, I grabbed the first piece of clothing I could find, and stood to put it on. Denny's button-up shirt was closest to my side of the bed. It smelled wonderfully of him as I slipped it on.

Wanting the clean, cold water from the fridge, I made my way to the stairs. I paused for only the slightest fraction of a second as I passed Kellan's door. A small part of me hoped he somehow hadn't just heard that. I couldn't imagine what he would think while listening to Denny and me. I hadn't exactly been quiet. Picturing Kellan in my head like that had made me lose all control. I frowned, not liking that thought at all.

I made my way into the kitchen, thinking about Kellan, about what had happened at the club, how intense it had gotten between us, how much I had wanted him, how much he had wanted me. Things were getting dangerous between us. I wasn't sure what to do.

I glanced out the window and stopped. His car wasn't there. Kellan still wasn't home? I went back to the living room. Anna wasn't there? Oh god, they were still out together...alone. I instantly thought of half-dozen places, and positions, that they could be in. The thought made me feel ill, and then I felt guilty. I settled on angry. Whatever was going on between Kellan and I, he had promised - promised! - that he wouldn't sleep with Anna.

No longer thirsty, I turned around and went back to bed.