Effortless (29 page)

Looking down at me, Kellan raised an eyebrow. “Did your dad buy
you the squeakiest bed in the world on purpose?”

Cringing, I sighed. “Yeah, probably.” Damn overprotective
father. Where he couldn’t stop us with a watchful eye, he’d managed
to stop us with outdated technology.

I squirmed under Kellan’s hips, wishing I could do more, but
even that slight movement made a sharp sound. Now that my mind was
clearer, even our crawling into the bed had been noisy. I
immediately stopped moving, afraid that we’d already woken my dad
up.

Kellan shook his head, his lip curving into a delicious smile;
it made me ache. “Well, your dad obviously doesn’t know me very
well, if he thinks that’s going to be a big enough deterrent.”

Slipping off of me, the bed squealing in protest, he stood at
the back of it. With a finger, he motioned for me to get up. I did,
curious. Once standing, he grabbed all of my blankets and laid them
on the floor on the other side of the bed. Next, he laid down some
pillows, so we’d be sort of comfortable. Standing back, he smiled
and spread his arms out. “Your love nest awaits.”

I cocked an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest, amused.
Kellan bit his lip then walked over to me. Grabbing my hand, he led
me to the other side of my squeaky bed. My heart accelerated with
every step we took towards the spot he’d laid out for us.

Pulling me into his body once we were standing before the
blankets, he murmured, “Kiera?” He leaned down to place a light
kiss upon my neck, just under my ear. I couldn’t answer him, I
started trembling. He didn’t wait for my response. Placing a
feather-light kiss below the first, he asked, “Will you…?” He
paused to kiss farther down my neck. I tilted my head and closed my
eyes, feeling like I was dazed, like my head was spinning. He laid
a final kiss in the electric spot right by my collar bone, then ran
his nose up my neck to my ear. Once there, he finished his
question. “…Make love to me?”

I think I may have actually melted.

I kissed him hard, my breath back to pant-mode. Quickly, but
quietly, we stripped off the multiple layers of clothing between
us. When we were both bare, his fingers on my skin searing me, we
laid down on my quilt covered in daisies. Bringing the heavy, down
comforter over the top of us, we melded together.

His skin, hot against mine, made my body feel like satin as we
naturally entwined. His lips left warm, wet trails over that silky
skin and I felt sensual, seductive, worshipped. He let out a soft
groan in my ear as my fingers traveled down the most sensitive,
private area of him. Desire shot through me, mixing with love and
the residual loneliness of our forced separation.

Careful to keep as quiet as possible, I pulled on his hips,
urging him to take me. He locked gazes with me, his breath fast
through his parted lips. I reached up and sucked on one and his
eyes fluttered closed. As we broke apart, I nodded, squirming my
hips under his. I wanted this.

His eyes, dark in my dark room, skimmed over my features as his
hand trailed down my body, to my knee. Slightly pulling my leg up
and around his hip, he settled himself over me. My heart raced with
the anticipation of it. Resting his forehead against mine, he
lightly breathed on me for a moment, pressing against me but not
moving inside yet. His smell overwhelmed me this close, made me
even more ready for him, for us, for this.

His breath hot, but sweet, he let out an erotic exhale.
“Nothing…compares to this…”

My fingers swept over his cheek. I wondered what he meant, but
he closed his eyes and pressed into me and any attempt at speaking
failed me. I clutched his shoulder, closing my own eyes as I
swallowed repeatedly, anything to stop myself from crying out with
the glorious intenseness of it. I heard him biting back his own
groan as he dropped his head to my shoulder.

Writhing with restraint, sucking in quick breaths, we began
moving together. It was so intense—the weeks of waiting, the
moments of telephone teasing, the anticipation I’d felt all day—my
body hit the wall faster than I’d ever believed possible. I fought
against the rising pressure, wanting to feel it with him. He
grabbed my cheek, his pace staying slow and steady. Making me look
at him as I fought against myself, he shook his head. “Don’t…let
go…”

I shook mine and he leaned down to my ear. “Don’t worry about
me…let me give this to you…”

He pushed a little harder and I lost whatever hold on my control
that I had. The euphoria burst through me and I arched my back,
panting as I struggled to control the vocal part of releasing. My
body was shaking from the contained explosion and I dug my fingers
into Kellan’s shoulder. As my eyes rolled back, I thought I’d never
felt anything so perfectly wondrous.

I ran a hand down my face as I drifted back from my high.
Watching me intently, still smoothly sliding against my body,
Kellan’s face was a picture of love and lust. He seemed spellbound,
amazed at watching me experience the satisfaction he’d just given
to me. His lips fell to mine, light. I felt like taffy.

“God, Kiera…God…that was…”

He dug in a little deeper and I closed my eyes. Surprisingly,
the fire started resurfacing. I found his mouth, wondering if I
could still have that moment with him again, but together this
time. Our lips containing the soft groans we were making, I
encouraged him to move his body at a speed that would satisfy him.
He whimpered when he hit the right spot and I moaned softly,
needing him even more than before.

His mouth falling open, he started to lower his head. My hand
came up to his cheek, making him stare at me. He clenched my hand
in his as he closed his eyes. I watched the euphoria start to flood
his features. Just as his hips paused, he cringed, almost looking
pained. It passed immediately as a soft, but deep noise left his
throat. He bit his lip to contain it, but the sound, mixed with the
look of pure pleasure on his sculpted face, pushed me over the edge
again.

Keeping my eyes open so I could watch every second of his bliss,
I felt my own wash over me again. It wasn’t as intense as the first
time, more peaceful, more perfect. As his body collapsed against
mine, I finally closed my eyes, letting the shared moment of
ecstasy sweep me away.  

I awoke the next morning gloriously achy. As I stretched out my
tight muscles, my hip hurt a little bit from sleeping on the hard
floor. My arm was mostly numb from partially lying on it. My more
womanly parts were also feeling the dull strain, renewed from weeks
of being ignored by last night’s powerful reconnection. But none of
that truly bothered me, because a warm arm was flopped over my
stomach.

I turned my head and snuggled into the warmth of Kellan’s neck,
missing the feeling of waking up next to him. His arm tightened
around my waist and the words I’d missed even more brushed against
my ear. “Mornin.”

He inhaled deep and stretched out his muscles. I had to imagine
that he was every bit as sore as I was, although, his man parts
probably weren’t. That was just a side effect for women…it was
nice, though. A reminder.

I leaned in to kiss his neck. “Good morning yourself.” Popping
my eyes all the way open, I propped myself up onto my elbow.
Smiling down at the half-dozing man beside me, I whispered, “Merry
Christmas, Kellan.”

He opened his eyes and reached up for my face. “Merry Christmas,
Kiera.” His hand threaded through my hair and wrapped around my
neck. As he started pulling me down to his lips, my bedroom door
opened. I froze, wide-eyed, suddenly remembering where I was.

“Kiera? Where are you?”

Hearing my sister’s soft voice, I peeked my head up. Her
luxurious hair was piled into an adorably cute ponytail on the top
of her head. Anna laughed when she saw where I was hiding. Dressed
in pink and green camouflaged pajamas, she giggled as she laid down
on my squeaky mattress. Propping her face into her hands and
clicking her heels together, she looked over the edge of the bed,
to our love nest on the floor.

Smiling down at the two of us as I lowered myself back down to
Kellan’s arms, she laughed out, “Well, I was going to wish you a
Merry Christmas and ask if you wanted to head downstairs with me,
but I can clearly see that you’ve already unwrapped your present.”
She smiled over at Kellan peering up at her with an amused grin.
“Hey, Kellan, glad you finally made it.”

He chuckled, squeezing me tight. “Hey, Anna. Thanks.”

Pulling the blankets up Kellan’s chest, hiding his tattoo as
well as his marvelous pecs, since Anna was clearly enjoying the
visual that she’d walked into this morning, I sighed at my sister.
“What time is it?”

Anna swung her perfectly emerald eyes to me. “It’s breakfast
time…Mom’s making eggs.”

I sat up straight, clutching the sheet to my chest; it fell off
Kellan a little in the process. “Breakfast…is Dad up?”

Anna clicked her heels together, smiling devilishly. “Yep.” She
pointed at Kellan. “And he better get out of here, before Dad
realizes he’s not on the couch.”

I scrambled into action, pushing Kellan out of the blankets. He
squirmed and fought me, obviously wanting to stay where he was.
“Kiera, relax.”

Shaking my head, I pushed him harder. “No, Anna’s right, he’s
gonna kill you if you’re up here.”

Twisting his lips at me, Kellan raised an eyebrow. “What’s he
going to do, really? Ground you?”

Shoving his shoulder, I nodded. “Yes, right after he castrates
you.”

Sighing, Kellan stood up…not bothering to hide himself at all.
My sister grinned at his nakedness and I slapped my hand over her
eyes. Narrowing mine at Kellan, as I kept Anna from prying away my
fingers, I watched him slip his clothes back on. Smirking at me, he
muttered, “Fine, I’ll sneak into the hallway so he’ll think I was
in the bathroom.”

I shook my head. “No, you should sneak out the window. Make him
think you went for a walk or something.”

Zipping up his jeans, Kellan dropped his mouth open. Since he
was mostly dressed, I stopped fighting with Anna to keep my hand
over her eyes; she scowled when she noticed how covered Kellan was,
then smiled at how
un
covered he still was. Holding his
shirt in his hands, he pointed at the window with his thumb. “We’re
on the second story, Kiera.”

Wrapping a sheet around me, I shook my head. “Please, he won’t
believe that you were just in the bathroom.” I pointed out the
window. “There’s a store about a block from here that should still
be open. You could pick up some milk…my mom would love you for
that.”

He shook his head, his hands on his hips. “My shoes and jacket
are downstairs in the living room?”

Anna brightened, popping her head up. “No they aren’t. I put
them outside when I woke up.”

I looked over at her, surprised. Anna shrugged as she giggled.
“It’s not the first time I’ve had to hide a boy, Kiera.” She winked
at me and I shook my head at the adventurous girl.

Kellan groaned, slipping on his shirt. Frowning, he muttered,
“Damn it, I haven’t snuck out of a woman’s window since I was
fifteen.”

I rolled my eyes at him, but Anna giggled. “Kellan, I think you
and I seriously need to swap some stories someday.” He looked back
at Anna with a crooked grin and she winked at him. I rolled my eyes
at the adventurous pair. Standing up, I shoved him towards the
window.

He sighed, opening it. Glancing out at the wintery landscape
before him, the frozen trellis he’d have to climb down, he looked
back at me with a pitiful expression. “You’re an adult, Kiera. He
really would probably get over it quicker than you think.”

I bit my lip. I hadn’t told Kellan how hard it had been to get
Dad to let him even stay in the same building as me. “He was going
to have you sleep in a tent, Kellan…in the backyard.” I raised my
eyebrow at him, my expression completely serious.

He started to laugh until he realized that I wasn’t joking.
Sighing, he rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he leaned in to kiss my cheek,
“but you owe me, big time.”

I giggled as he pinched my butt. Anna giggled too. Saluting us
with two fingers above his eyebrow, he ducked out the window. I
held my breath as I watched him, hoping he didn’t fall. When he was
at the ledge of the roof, I whispered, “Be careful.”

He looked up at me, a puff of air leaving his mouth as he
shivered in his long-sleeved t-shirt. Anna came to join me as I
stared out the window and Kellan smirked at the two of us. Twisting
his lip devilishly, he muttered, “You’re lucky last night was
completely worth this…”

I flushed and Anna let out a throaty laugh. As Kellan began
descending, I quietly said his name. When he looked up at me, light
snowflakes falling on his rosy cheeks, I smiled and said, “Pick up
some eggnog too.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head, continuing his retreat
from my bedroom. Laughing at the look on his face, I silently
closed the window. After I quickly shrugged out of my sheet
burrito, I threw on some I-just-woke-up pajamas. Anna helped me put
all of the covers back onto my bed. We were sitting on the edge of
it, laughing over Kellan’s sullen expression, when my door swung
open.  Smoothing my hair into a pony tail, I smiled as Dad
poked his head in.

Staring at him warmly, I watched his light brown eyes scour my
room for intruders. The thinning hair on his head was streaked with
gray, and as I watched him frown at me, at my empty room, and then
at my sister, I was pretty sure we were both to blame for the color
change.

“Merry Christmas, Dad,” I said brightly, hopping up to give him
a hug.

Seeing my room with no trace of a boy in it, he relaxed and
hugged me back. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.” Pulling apart from
me, he did his best to contain a smile. “Did that Kellan fellow
decide to not stay here then? I see that he’s not downstairs.”

I frowned as best as I could and looked back at Anna sitting on
my squeaky mattress. “He’s not? He was there last night when I went
to bed?” I looked back at Dad, keeping my voice as even as I could.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the last year had made me a better
liar than I’d ever wished to be.

Dad frowned but Anna stood up and joined us at the door. “I ran
into him this morning. He said he was going to run to the store and
get some milk for Mom, since we’re almost out.” She tilted her head
at Dad. “Wasn’t that nice of him, Daddy?”

Dad twisted his lips, but had no argument against Anna.
Shrugging, he mumbled, “Yeah, I guess…”

Smiling at each other, Anna and I shepherded our clueless Dad
downstairs. I secretly thanked her when we got to the bottom. In my
ear she whispered, “I heard you guys last night…no need to thank
me, you needed that.”

I turned beet red as we entered the kitchen.

Mom was there, whisking a bowl of eggs into a yellow, frothy
mess that matched the frilly bathrobe she was wearing over her
flannel pajamas. Over the smell of greasy, crackling bacon was the
undeniable aroma of cinnamon rolls.  It made my mouth water.
As my mom worked away on the breakfast, I came up beside her and
rested my head on her shoulder.  The comforting smells and
sounds instantly brought me back to every Christmas morning I’d
ever had with my family.

Mom’s hair was the same color as mine and Anna’s, but not
because she had good genes or anything and she hadn’t started
graying yet. No, her secret weapon came from a product whose
tagline was —
Fight the good fight
. It always made me
giggle when I saw the hair color box in her bathroom. The slogan
was like something Denny would come up with. Oddly, I paused a
moment to wonder if he was enjoying his Christmas day with
Abby.

Squeezing my waist, Mom looked over her shoulder at Dad sitting
at the table and reading the paper while Anna gushed about how
excited she was for us to open her present; she’d gotten the same
thing for every member of our family. As Dad absentmindedly nodded
at Anna, Mom looked back to me. Her green eyes, a gift she’d passed
to Anna, sparkled as they met mine.

“Did you have a good night last night?” I flushed a bit,
wondering if she knew what really happened. She
had
woken
up before Dad…

Playing with the end of my ponytail, I tried a nonchalant shrug.
“Yeah, it was nice to see Kellan again. I’ve missed him.”

Mom smiled, returning to her cooking. With a knowing smile, she
nodded. “Uh-huh.” Biting my lip and praying to God that she hadn’t
heard us too, I twisted to leave.

Mom looked back at me before I completely turned around.
Frowning a little, she shook her head. “I’m sure he’s a good boy,
Kiera, and I’m sure you are deeply in love with him, but…not in the
house, okay?”

Needing to block out the sudden image of my mother explaining
the birds and the bees to me when I was thirteen, I briefly closed
my eyes. Not able to answer, I only nodded and quickly walked over
to my sister.

Anna smiled and wrapped her arm around me. Changing her topic of
conversation, she started talking about a cute boy that frequented
her work. I wanted to frown at her but I didn’t. Anna and Griffin
certainly weren’t exclusive and could date whomever they pleased,
but really, I had to wonder about a guy who frequently dropped by
Hooters. Sure, it may not be a strip club or anything, but single
guys dropped in for one reason and one reason alone…and it wasn’t
for the hot wings. And Anna deserved better than a horn dog like
that.

Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes at myself. Anna was already
involved with a horn dog. Well, at least I knew that particular
dog, and he was pretty harmless. I mean, he wasn’t some creepy
stalker guy and he wasn’t violent.  Compared to the potential
rapists that Anna could be involved with, Griffin, with all of his
gross, obnoxious behavior, was actually preferable. God, did I just
defend Griffin?

I was distracted by my musings from a knock at the door. Anna
gave me a tiny smile then stood up. “I’ll get it.”

Dad pointed at her, a frown back on his face. “Sit. I’ll get
it.”

I bit my lip and sighed, hoping Dad went easy on Kellan. It was
Christmas and all, and even if we’d sent him away as a cover story,
he
had
been nice and gone to the store to get the family
some milk…and hopefully some eggnog too.

Anna and I followed after Dad as we made our way to the front
door. Adjusting the button-up pajama top that he was wearing and
trying to stand as tall as he could, Dad prepared himself to open
the door. I had to smile at the show; Dad was closer to Denny’s
height and Kellan was still going to tower over him. If he was
going to try and intimidate Kellan through size, it wasn’t going to
work.

As Dad slowly opened the door, Mom came up behind us all,
wanting to join in on the welcome party. The winter wonderland
behind Kellan made for the perfect backdrop as the door swung all
the way inward. His black leather jacket matched his black shirt
and the confliction with the scenery made him impossible to miss.
The movie star good looks didn’t hurt either.

From very quietly behind me, I heard my mother mutter, “Oh
my…”

I flushed as Anna giggled. Mom had seen pictures of Kellan, of
course, I’d sent more than a few care packages back home, but
seeing him in person was something else. Dad, obviously not having
heard his wife’s reaction to my boyfriend, eyed Kellan up and down.
Throwing on an effortless smile, Kellan extended his hand, the one
not currently holding the plastic grocery bag. “Mr. Allen, it’s
very nice to finally meet you. I’m Kellan Kyle.”