Effortless (2 page)

As he propped a foot on a speaker and leaned out to grab a fan,
I idly wondered why that one. Did he like her hair? Was she the
most excited one in that section? Did she have the biggest…voice?
Shaking my head, I pushed it out of my mind. He had so many things
to concentrate on up there, he probably wasn’t thinking at all.
Just reacting to a fan asking for more of him. And they could
certainly touch him. I wasn’t such a jealous harpy that I couldn’t
handle a few caresses. Within reason, of course.

And Kellan was good with keeping most of his flirtations on the
stage. He would never look or act the way he was while he was
singing in our day to day life. You wouldn’t even know he was
practically a rock star in-between his shows. Really, he seemed a
little lazy to the untrained eye. But I knew his mind was always
busy, even if he was just slinging back cold ones at the bar.

As the heat only increased throughout their set, I started to
wonder if Kellan might strip down. It wasn’t a preposterous idea;
he’d done it before while singing. A couple of times, from what I’d
heard. He was wiping himself off with the lower half of his shirt
whenever he got the chance, his shirt rising to the edge of his
upper abs, each line still gloriously defined. With the symphony of
screams whenever he did that, I was sure the crowd would approve if
he chose to remove it. The bulk of the crowd, anyway.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about women ogling my boyfriend in that
way. I wasn’t sure how I felt about his tattoo being exposed
either. That sort of bothered me more. But after a quick wipe, he
always let his plain, white t-shirt fall back into place. I
preferred to believe that he liked keeping his tattoo a secret too,
like it was something just between us. And it should be. Even
though it was on
his
body, it was incredibly personal for
each of us. It had kept him connected to me while we’d been apart.
It had helped seal us when we’d gotten back together.

Once their allotted time had diminished, the band members each
gave small bows and Kellan thanked the crowd for listening. He was
happier than I’d ever seen him as he backed away from the stand.
His eyes flicked down to mine in the crowd. No, I was wrong before.
The look he was giving me now was the happiest look I’d ever seen
on him.

The crowd around us started shifting, some staying to watch the
next show, some leaving to check out another venue. Bumbershoot had
dozens of artists playing at any given time, from the big names, to
the locals, like the D-Bags. Having been here just last year with
them, when Kellan and I had just been friends, well, as much of
friends as we had ever been, it was a little surreal to see their
name on the lineup posters. I’d snagged about three dozen of those
posters as mementoes.

Giggling, Jenny locked her arm with mine and pulled us towards
the side of the stage. The guys were alternating between
acknowledging the fans and unplugging their stuff. Kellan grabbed
his prized guitar, and with a smile and a nod at me, ducked behind
the stage. Jenny and I approached a metal railing fencing off the
backstage area from the rest of the populace. And just in case the
fence wasn’t enough of a warning, a couple of yellow-shirted
security guards were shooing people away.

Waiting in the spot where I knew Kellan would eventually appear,
I, for a moment, wished I was forward enough to sneak behind the
fence. I wanted to be with him, to give him the huge congratulatory
hugs that were bursting my prideful stomach apart. But it was
off-limits to normal folk, like me, and I didn’t want to cause a
scene by getting busted by the burly guys who put Pete’s bouncer to
shame.

 Sighing as I watched Evan and Matt disappear from the
stage, Griffin leaning over to suck face with some blonde before he
too vanished, I again wished my sister was here. Anna was hot, by
most men’s standards, and she could get into places closed off to
plain-Janes, like me.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kellan came out, sans
guitar, sans the rest of the guys. Rushing up to me, he leapt over
the metal rail. The security guards glanced at him, but they were
more interested in keeping people out, not in. A small scream
erupted from the knot of people also waiting for their rock-god,
but this god headed directly for me.

Immediately his arms were around me, sweeping me into a hug.
With his exuberance I thought he might sling me over his shoulder
and twirl me around. If I also hadn’t been sure that he’d smack my
bottom a few times, turning my face beet-red, I might have let him
do it. But I’d prefer it if those sorts of things were done in a
more private setting. And Jenny and I weren’t the only girls
waiting around back here for the band.

So, giggling as he lifted me up, I made sure to sling my arms
firmly around his neck so he couldn’t get too carried away. His
smell hit me instantly. That undeniable aroma that was purely him.
Clean, manly, seductive…it was a scent that lingered with me, even
in my dreams.

Kellan laughed and squeezed me tight, the air compressing from
my lungs until he set me down again. Pulling back, his impossibly
blue eyes glowed at me. “That was so much fun! I’m so glad you were
here…did you like it?”

His eyes sparkled in a shaft of sunlight as he grabbed my
shoulders and squatted down to look me square in the eye. I giggled
more at his question. Really? Of course I liked it, I loved
watching him perform. His expression was so sweet, in his joy.
Almost innocent. Cupping his warm cheeks, I nodded. “I loved it.
You guys were amazing! I’m so proud of you, Kellan.”

His face beamed even more at my praise, then he seemed to notice
something that he hadn’t before. His fingers around my arms pushed
me back a smidge and his eyes traveled down my chest. I swear I
felt the heat increase in a straight line down my body by his gaze
alone. Stopping at my exposed navel, his lips twisted devilishly
and he peeked up at me from under his so-long-it-wasn’t-fair
eyelashes. The smoldering desire in his gaze was enough to quicken
my breath. Kellan’s innocent moments never lasted very long.

“I like your shirt.”

His voice was melted sex. Yes, melted…sex.

I flushed all over. He could still make me feel like he was
looking at me for the first time, not the thousandth time. He still
gave me butterflies.

 Just as I was about to come up with some response to his
comment, Kellan was attacked. Not literally, but female hands did
grab his arms and twist him around. Laughing adorably, he let go of
my shoulders and basked in the affections of his fans. Some of them
looked at me with raised eyebrows, but then I was ignored. That was
fine by me. I’d rather not be in Kellan’s spotlight, if I could
help it.

As Kellan started signing things and getting his picture snapped
with cell phones, I shook my head. It was so weird. I constantly
forgot that he was a little famous. I mean, I was used to the girls
at Pete’s, but we weren’t at Pete’s. Watching that fame follow him
to such a public venue was kind of hard to wrap my head around. As
I watched, the next girl in the crowd clamoring for him to notice
them pulled down her tank top to expose the cups of her bra. She
begged him to sign her chest. He glanced back at me really quick,
but then he did it…and he had plenty of room to sign his name, if
you know what I mean.

My cheeks flamed hot and I felt a knot of tension in my stomach.
Yeah, I tried to be cool with his life, but his face in her chest
while he signed away with a sharpie was a little much. As was her
hands on his ass. Just as I thought to shove the vixen away, a firm
hand rested on my shoulder.

“He loves
you
, Kiera. He’s just playing.”

I looked over my shoulder at Evan. He’d come out from behind the
metal fence while I’d been preoccupied with watching Kellan. Kellan
could do that to me—make me oblivious to the world. My habit of
getting so wrapped up in him that everything else around me blurred
into the background was sort of a weak point in me. I was working
on it.

Evan’s jovial face was grinning at Kellan as he slung his
tattooed arm around Jenny’s waist. The perky blonde gazed up at
Evan with adoration. Being the front man, and drop-dead gorgeous,
Kellan got a lot more notice than the other guys, but Evan
certainly had his followers, too. They were behind him now, waiting
for the sweet, teddy bear of a man to disengage from his
girlfriend.

His warm brown eyes glancing down at me, he pointed his other
tattooed arm at my boyfriend. “It’s sort of his job, you know, to
keep the fans wanting more.”

I glanced over at Kellan, now smashed in-between two girls
kissing his cheeks while a third forever captured the moment with
her camera. I was certain the photo would be on the internet within
hours. I sighed. At least he drew the line at them kissing him on
the lips since we’d gotten together. He didn’t used to. And yes,
those pictures were on the internet too.

Looking back up at Evan, I shrugged. “I know…I just wish he
wasn’t so good at it.” My voice came out a little sullenly and Evan
chuckled, clapping my shoulder as he finally twisted to acknowledge
his fans.

With Jenny by his side, Evan signed autographs and made playful
small talk with complete strangers. Jenny did too. Standing back
from the mayhem a bit, I marveled at how comfortable they both
looked. Me? I’d rather die than have to make multiple introductions
over and over again.

My eyes darted to Kellan’s broad back, where a woman had her
hand resting a little too low for my taste, and I quickly averted
them. No point in making myself jealous by watching. Instead, I
glanced over at where Matt had quietly joined the fray. He looked
just as uncomfortable with this part as me. He enjoyed playing,
enjoyed being on the stage, enjoyed creating and making music. That
was where his passion lied, not in the people-pleasing part. But he
nodded politely, taking a couple pictures and signing a couple of
t-shirts.

Attached to Matt’s arm was his equally quiet girlfriend, Rachel.
She was a beautiful mix of Latin and Asian with bronze skin and
deep brown hair. She held the hand of her spiky, blond boyfriend,
not looking jealous by the attentions he received, but not looking
like she wanted to partake in the socializing either. Not one for
crowds, Rachel had watched the performance from the lawn nearby.
She was quieter and shyer than me…which was saying a lot. Rachel
was Jenny’s roommate, and she and Matt had started seeing each
other last spring, around when Kellan and I had officially gotten
together. The low-key pair was still going strong. Their
personalities blended very well. They were sort of adorable.

The last D-Bag to stroll into the awaiting crowd was less
adorable. I rolled my eyes as Griffin sauntered through my line of
sight, his hands fondling anything that he could. Some girls
smacked him, others giggled. He always returned to the giggling
ones. His form of signing autographs usually involved tongue. It
turned my stomach, watching him. Honestly, I didn’t get what my
sister saw.

Matt’s near identical released a girl he’d just deep-throated
and swung his head around, looking for more prey. Unfortunately,
Griffin’s horny eyes fell on me. His thin lips twisting into a
familiar curl, he started walking over my way. I instinctively
started backing up. Griffin was one person that I liked to keep
some distance from. He had a tendency to be a little…grabby.
Tucking his chin-length blond hair behind his ears, he threw his
hands out to the side, conveniently brushing against a fan’s breast
as he did.

“Kiera, my future lover! I’m thrilled you came to check me out.”
His hand went down to his cargo shorts and cupped his…stuff. “Did
you like what you saw?” he asked, tilting his head.

Wanting to gag, I twisted to leave. Close enough to grab me, he
sidled up and snatched my hand. When he looked like he was going to
place my palm on his junk, my eyes widening in horror, my fingers
were suddenly torn away from his. Stepping between us, Kellan
shoved Griffin’s shoulder back. “Fuck off, Griffin,” he muttered,
shaking his head and rolling his eyes.

The bassist shrugged and found some other girl to touch him. I
breathed a sigh of relief and sank into Kellan’s side.
“Thanks.”

Chuckling, Kellan kissed my head. “No problem. I know how much
you love conversing with Griffin.” I cringed as Kellan waved
goodbye to some of the fans that were lingering, maybe hoping he’d
stay and chat with them all day. No, Griffin was about my least
favorite person to talk to.

Twisting us around, his arm firmly attached to my waist, Kellan
started walking us away from the private area and back to the main
part of the park. Almost subconsciously, like they’d follow him
anywhere, his band members started trailing after him. Looking
back, I watched Matt and Evan strolling along with their arms
around their girls. Griffin strolled along with his hand scratching
his privates. In a way, they did follow Kellan anywhere. When his
parents had died, Kellan had sort of ditched everything to come up
here, and they’d all followed him without a moment’s hesitation.
They’d been here ever since.

Fixing my focus back on the man beside me, I slung my other arm
around his waist, cinching him tight. I couldn’t imagine what that
day must have been like for him. It was true that Kellan had good
reason to hate his parents, they were abusive, cold-hearted
bastards, blaming Kellan for all of the miseries they’d felt in
their lives, but still…they were his family. The only close family
he’d had. Their death had deeply affected him.