Kellan (9 page)

Justin gave me a break and started “Changes” slow, letting me come back down to Earth and breathe a little. I took center stage again and sat on a bar stool, letting my voice do the work as my body cooled. We would rock them hard tonight but play it a little safe until we found the sweet spot here. Stones, Bowie, Joan Jett, maybe a little grunge. Nothing original. Not yet.
 

I opened my eyes and Kellan was there. He stood leaning against the bar. My heart raced, my head went light when his eyes met mine. He drew me into his orbit with a flash of green eyes and a sweet, sexy smile. My eyes took in the hard lines of his face, the way his jeans hugged him in all the right places. Flashes of memory from the other night filled me as I sang. The strength of his fingers as he ran them along my rib cage and pulled me close to him. The coarse stubble along his jaw contrasted with his thick, soft hair as I pulled him down to kiss me. A flutter ran through me, quickening my heart and sending heat through me. I almost couldn’t catch my breath. I closed my eyes and inhaled the memory of his scent. God, I wanted him to touch me like that again.
 

The tether between Justin and me snapped and something rose in its place. The crowd was with me, around me, filling me. But Kellan filled my mind and heart.
 

I couldn’t take my eyes off Kellan. He moved away from the bar and worked the crowd in his own way just like I was. He was smooth. Cool. He looked rugged and strong with his leather cut spread across broad shoulders and a chest hard with muscles. I knew, I felt it. The memory of his arms around me kept me awake at night.
 

I realized then he was just as good a performer as I was tonight.
The Wolf Den
had the trappings of a biker bar but it was so much more. Every man in the place wanted to be tough, cool, part of Kellan’s circle. He let them in, going from table to table with that slow swagger and killer smirk. Just the flick of his fingers or the jerk of his chin and he had the bartenders hopping. The waitresses swooning.
 

Three club members acted as bouncers. They were fierce and imposing in their leather cuts, their bulging arms crossed as they scanned the crowd. Kellan
was near the front door and he couldn’t see what happened at one of the back tables.
 

A guy got handsy with one of the waitresses as she leaned down to serve his drink. He pulled her into his lap while his friends laughed and egged him on. He ground against her and her eyes went wide as she realized how far away she was from help. Jesus. He looked like he was ready to rape her right over the table. She tried to play it cool, giggling as she twisted her body away from his. But he held her to him and breathed something into her ear that made her eyes go wide. She wasn’t safe. Dammit. She was in real trouble. Where the hell were Kellan’s people?
 

Shit. I’d seen this a dozen times in seedy dives we’d played. A couple of the guy’s friends started to jostle him. Some of them were trying to get him to back off. A few others were trying to get in on the action. Either way, it was about to end in fists. One wrong move and there’d be a full-on brawl before the bouncers could make it back in time. It wouldn’t matter. It couldn’t happen. One big bar fight and
The Wolf Den
would be just like every other biker bar there was. All these middle-class single women would never set foot in here again if they didn’t feel safe. If they stopped coming, so would the men. The place would be finished before it got a real chance to start.
 

Things were going downhill fast. The biggest bouncer, a tall blond I’d heard Kellan call Brax, started to move but he wasn’t going to get there before the first punch got thrown.
 

I turned back to Justin and drew my fingers across my neck, then drew a heart around my breast. He narrowed his eyes at first then nodded. Two seconds later, he switched the rhythm and I started to walk back toward the trouble.
 

“Stay with me, baby,” I whispered to the table of single guys right across from the asshole in the back. I positioned myself between their table and the asshole and started singing “Piece of My Heart.” Everyone knew the words. No matter who they were, what they were doing, I could always get ‘em to sing along.
 

I swayed my hips and blew a kiss to the asshole, drawing everyone’s attention to him. He held the scared waitress in his lap and was busy pawing at her. I looked up; whoever they had working the lights knew his stuff. He dropped a spotlight on me and I moved so the asshole was in it too. He froze and let go of the waitress.  I pulled her to me.
 

“Come on, come on!”
 

I pointed the mic to her. She was scared at first but it didn’t stop her. She whispered “take it” into the mic and now the whole crowd sang along. I gave her a big smile and a wink and whispered to her to just keep singing with me.
 

Brax got there. He put his body between me, the girl, and the asshole. I moved back and the spotlight followed me. The groping asshole was back in the dark again; most of the bar patrons had no idea what had just happened. I turned toward the stage just as Brax helped the asshole to his feet and out the door.
 

Just before I made it back to the stage for the last chorus, I saw Kellan again. He lifted the corners of his luscious mouth in a smile and spread his hands wide, nodding. Justin reached a hand down and helped me back up on stage. Then he and I stood back to back as I brought the song home. The crowd went crazy with whistles and applause.
 

My heart hammered in my chest as I felt Kellan’s eyes still on me. I shouldn’t have looked back. I should have turned back to Justin or dipped low in a bow. We’d finished our set and it was time to break. I did look back though. Kellan’s gaze raked over me and he couldn’t hide the naked lust in his eyes. I knew he saw the same thing in mine.  I couldn’t help it. My breasts rose and fell as I struggled to catch my breath. Heat coursed through me and went straight to my core, settling between my legs.
 

I wanted him. I couldn’t deny it. Didn’t want to. Even though I knew it was a terrible idea. It wasn’t just me I had to think about. Nothing good could come from messing with Kellan Carter or getting in any deeper with the Great Wolves M.C. than I already had. I knew it in my head, but my heart and every other part of me didn’t care.
 

The lights went down and Justin pulled his guitar strap over his head.
 

“That was quick thinking, cuz,” he said. “Our first big night ends in a brawl and I’m thinking that would have been the end of this gig.”
 

Breathless, I nodded.
 

“You okay?” he asked.
 

I nodded again. Tim and Bruno had already hopped off stage and headed for the bar surrounded by their new female groupies. Three or four more lingered at the end of the stage waiting for Justin.
 

“I’m good,” I said. “I just need a little air. It’s hotter in here than I’m used to.”
 

“Uh huh,” Justin said, holding his pick between his teeth as he set his guitar down in its case.
 

“Go on,” I said, plastering a smile back on my face. “Have a little fun tonight, Jus. I can take care of myself. Did you see that redhead at the back table? One more song and I’m pretty sure she’d have flung her panties at you. In fact, remind me to duck. I’d hate to get caught in the crossfire of that.”
 

Justin smiled. I was covering for my own heated state, but he
did
deserve to have a little fun.
 

“Yeah. I saw her. You really don’t mind if I go let her buy me a drink?”
 

I slapped him on the back. “Give me the keys to the love mobile. Just don’t stay out too late.”
 

“Hmm, you either.”
 

Justin hopped off the stage and ran a hand through his hair. I couldn’t help but laugh as I caught the side of his face just as he threw his killer smile at the redhead. Yeah. He was going to be out very late.
 

Suddenly, my throat felt dry as sandpaper but I had no desire to head out to the bar myself. Instead, I went back through the kitchen. When I got to the break room, Kellan was waiting for me with that smolder in his eyes that shot heat straight through me.
 

Chapter Nine

“Hey,” I said. “Great crowd tonight.”
 

He nodded. “You owned them. You always do, don’t you? What you do on that stage is amazing.”
 

I smiled and walked around him to the small fridge against the wall. I leaned down to open it and grabbed a water bottle. When I rose, Kellan hadn’t moved. He leaned against the wall near the door, watching me.
 

“And that was quick thinking, what you did back there. That dickhead would have gotten out of hand if you hadn’t drawn attention to him like that.”
 

I twisted the cap off the bottle and drank. The water was cool going down but it didn’t help. My skin was on fire being so close to him, even though he was on the other side of the room. Kellan watched every move I made. The air between us seemed charged.
 

“You need anything? Dinner? A drink? You can have anything you want.”
 

I pressed the water bottle to my temple. Right about then, I missed
The Sand Bar
. At least there, I could have jumped in the lake to cool down the sizzle between us.
 

“I’m good,” I said. “But kind of beat. I think I’m going to just head home.”
 

Kellan’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t party with the rest of your band?”
 

I started to peel the plastic label off the water bottle. “Not a lot, no. It’s okay. I’ve got the van. Justin and the others look like they won’t have any trouble finding a ride home.”
 

Kellan walked toward me, his eyes darkened and narrowed. “It’s late, Mallory. It’s dark out there.”
 

I laughed. “You afraid the big bad wolf is going to follow me home?”
 

“He just might.”
 

My heart froze in my chest for a fraction of a second, then started to hammer. Kellan froze too. I think what he said had just kind of slipped out. But now that it had, it was out there. If either of us took another step toward each other, if we said anything, I didn’t think I could ignore the rising heat between us. Every inch of my body cried out to touch his.
 

“I should go,” I said, but my voice sounded so far away like it came from someone else.
 

“I’m walking you to your car,” he said. It wasn’t a request.
 

I nodded. “Thanks.”
 

I downed the last of the water and tossed the bottle into the blue bin by the door. Kellan stood stock still as I brushed past him and gripped the door handle. I kept my eyes straight ahead and walked out into the parking lot. I could feel him behind me, his body heat prickling my spine.
 

“Thanks,” I said again. God, this guy had me nervous, like some teenage girl. He’d done nothing but act like a gentleman so far. Tonight anyway. Somehow though, that made it even worse. I didn’t
want
him to act like a damn gentleman. I wanted him to press himself against me and pick up where we left off. I knew what happened the last time we’d been alone together like this on a moonlit night. The memory of the way he touched me simmered my blood. When I turned to face him and say goodnight, I saw the glint in his eyes and knew in an instant he was thinking the same thing.
 

He threaded his thumbs through his belt loops, but from the corner of my eyes, I saw his fingers twitching. The air seemed to crackle between us.
 

“I’m glad you did what you did,” he said. “But I don’t ever want you to do it again. That dickhead at the back of the bar could have hurt you too easily. He was bigger, stronger, and faster. I don’t care what happens in the bar, as long as you’re safe.”
 

I ran a hand through my hair and tried to focus on anything other than Kellan Carter’s sexy mouth. “I’ve done things like that a thousand times, Kellan. It’s part of the job when you play gigs like this.”
 

“Not in my house,” he said, his voice stern. “I mean it, Mallory. If I can’t keep you and the other girls who work for me safe from creeps like that, I might as well shut the doors right now.”
 

“We are safe. Nobody got hurt. I was just in a position to see what was about to go down first. That’s all. And you’ve got something good going on here. I don’t think I really appreciated it until tonight. These people were here to spend money. Real money. I can see what you’re trying to build. This isn’t some thug biker bar.”
 

Kellan started to smile and my heart stopped.
 

“Er . . . sorry. You’re not a thug. Um . . . are you?”
 

He threw his head back and laughed. God, the rich sound of it sent warmth straight to my toes. I needed to get the hell out of here and fast. One more minute near him, or if he touched me, I wasn’t going to be able to be the smart, sensible one.
 

I turned and climbed into the van while Kellan held the door for me. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” I said. Kellan nodded and closed the van door. He took a step back and watched me. My heart pounded hard. I slid the key in the ignition and turned it.
 

Nothing happened. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I turned the key again. The car made a sickening lurch and a series of clicks, but nothing else happened.
 

Fuck. Seriously fuck. Not now.
 

“I think your battery might be dead,” Kellan said.