Reckless (22 page)

“It’s weird.” Seeing a rose petal on Kellan’s pillow, I held it up and rubbed the silky petal between my fingers. This one was a coral color, from a fresh bouquet the
maid had placed in the hallway yesterday. Kellan had gone for a run earlier, and left the petal in bed for me. He’d written the words
Back soon
on it.

Anna sighed again, but more compassionately. “It’s only weird if you let it be weird. Don’t get yourself tied up in knots over one harmless photograph. I mean, what’s the
worst that can happen?”

My sister was right, of course. But still, having the world at large hope for your husband to hook up with someone else was a little . . . heartbreaking.

A few weeks before the album dropped, the boys were slated to set off on a whirlwind promotional tour. They were hitting all of the biggest cities in almost every state in the
continental U.S. Looking at their schedule was mind-boggling. It was a nonstop jumble of plane rides, radio interviews, and private performances. There were times when they were booked for
appearances in three different cities in one day. I was exhausted just staring at the itinerary. If we could get through this, touring should be easy.

Their first stop on the promo tour was a popular radio station in Los Angeles. No, it wasn’t just popular—it was the number one station in the city, and they were going to debut the
single there while the boys were in the studio. My stomach was a swarm of butterflies. Even though I knew this song release was only going to fuel the flames of Kellan and Sienna’s formulated
relationship, I couldn’t wait to hear Kellan’s voice being broadcasted over the airwaves. It was such a surreal thought.

Knowing life was going to get very hectic very soon, Kellan and I savored every moment of quiet togetherness that we could. Kellan gave me a tour of the city, showing me some of the dive bars he
and the D-Bags had played at during their time here. I could easily picture a fresh-out-of-high-school Kellan wowing the panties off of wannabe Hollywood starlets. It must have been very easy for
him to line up “dates” down here.

Kellan showed me the touristy things too—Disneyland, Seaworld, the Walk of Fame—but my favorite moments were lounging by the pool at the record label’s house. Especially when
everyone else was gone and it was just the two of us. On a sunny mid-August morning, a few days before the chaotic part of Kellan’s career kicked in, we were enjoying a private dip in the
pool. I was leaning against the cool white steps that led down into the turquoise water, watching the tiny disruptive waves my legs made as I lightly kicked them in front of me. The smell of
chlorine and sunblock filled my senses, and except for some birds squawking in a nearby tree, all was quiet. Knowing this peace wouldn’t last, I savored it.

Under the water, a dark shape approached me. Hands ran up my legs, stilling them, as the submerged body swam right over mine. Stopping at my waist, Kellan lifted his head out of the water and
crooked a grin at me. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I muttered, biting my lip. His hair was slicked back from his face, and beads of water rolled down his cheeks. The sunlight sparkled in his eyes, lightening the deep blue
color. He was glorious, and for this one moment in time, he was all mine.

Sighing, I sat up and wrapped my arms around his neck; my legs automatically tightened around his waist. He sank to his knees, holding me in his arms in the shallow water. If contentment could
be felt as a physical thing, like the warmth from the sun or a cool breeze on a hot day, then surely I was feeling it wrap around me right now as I laid my head on his shoulder and let myself be
consumed by his presence.

Just as Kellan pulled back to look at me, the tranquility on his face matching mine, Griffin stepped out of the house. He walked over to the steps, frowned, and scratched his head, like he was
trying to puzzle out how to do something. Then he shrugged and knocked on the railing that divided the steps.

Struggling to keep his face straight, Kellan peeked up at him. “Yes?”

“That dude from the record is here. Wants to talk to you.”

Setting me down beside him, Kellan stood from the water. Rivulets ran down the lines and curves of his body. Beads of moisture were left in their wake; they clung to his skin like they were
reluctant to leave him. I completely understood the feeling.

“Which dude?” Kellan asked.

Griffin shrugged, indiscretely checking me out. “I don’t know. The uppity one in a suit.”

Kellan stepped slightly in front of me. “Nick? The vice president of the label?”

Griffin raised his gaze to Kellan. “I don’t know. Sure.”

Kellan glanced back at me. The last time the VP of the label showed up, it had been to offer Kellan a major opportunity. I had a feeling that whatever he wanted now would be just as big. For
some reason, though, my stomach dropped.

Quickly toweling off, Kellan threw on a shirt and I threw on some shorts. I’d prefer to meet with a bigwig fully clothed and fully dry, but my tankini top and wet hair would have to do for
now. Best not to keep the man who controlled my husband’s destiny waiting.

Griffin led us upstairs, to where we’d met with Nick and Sienna last time. As I was about to follow Kellan into the room, Griffin grabbed my elbow. I instantly tensed as I looked up at his
face. A frown on his lips, he said, “Anna tells me you don’t like me. That true? I thought we were cool.”

Wondering why on earth Griffin wanted to talk about this now, I gently pulled my arm from his grasp. “We’re . . . cool. Sure.”
Stay out of my bedroom, don’t touch me
again, and quit fooling around on my sister, and we’re great.

His pale eyes hardened as he tucked some hair behind his ears. “You just totally lied.” He folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not sleeping with you, so I don’t
really give a shit what you think about me, but I would like to know why you hate me, since I’ve been nothing but nice to you.”

Nice? Is that what he’s been to me?
Stifling an eye roll, I glanced over Griffin’s shoulder; I could see Kellan shaking hands with the “uppity one in a suit,”
Nick. I really wanted to hear what was going on in there, not engage Griffin in a pointless conversation. As I avoided answering Griffin’s question, he added, “Is it because I said I
wanted to get laid? Because I was totally kidding.”

My eyes involuntarily narrowed into slits as I looked back up at him. “No, you weren’t kidding. You’re crude, obnoxious, and you’re a bigger man whore than Kellan ever
was!”

Griffin gave me a “yeah, right” face, which I forcefully made myself ignore. “You represent everything I hate about rock stars. The partying, the women, the sex. You’re
everything that I’m afraid Kellan will become!”

Griffin poked me in the shoulder. “So your problem isn’t really with me. You’re afraid of what Kell might do when you’re not around, so your problem is
you
.” He spread his hands out. “Anna’s never asked me to not dick around. We’ve never been exclusive. She doesn’t care who I have sex with . . . so why should
you?” Raising his chin, he added, “And I’ll have you know, I’ve only fucked about five people this year, and nobody since Anna told me she was knocked up. So, yeah, I do
fucking care about her. I think I may even fucking love her.”

He spun around and stormed into the room after that, and I could only stare at him in shock. Did I just get schooled by Griffin? That had to be one of the signs of the apocalypse. But . . . he
did have a point. I mainly disliked him because I didn’t want Kellan to be like him. And Kellan wasn’t like him. They were night-and-day different. Griffin was just so crass. But so was
my sister, and I loved her to pieces. Well, crap. Now I had to make an actual attempt to like Griffin. And, wow, he just said he loved Anna. That blew my mind.

I finally walked into the room, thinking that nothing Nick told me could shock me more than what Griffin had just said. Kellan was sitting on one of the couches across from Nick. Evan and Matt
were sitting next to him, but there was just enough room for me. Feeling like I was completely disrupting the conversation, I walked in front of Matt and Evan to sit by Kellan. Griffin threw his
weight down in a chair opposite us.

Nick paused in his pleasantries to wait for me to settle myself into Kellan’s side. My cheeks heated as the blond, blue-eyed man tapped his thumb on his crossed leg. Even though it had to
be ninety degrees outside, Nick was in a full suit. And an expensive one at that—Armani probably. His tie was bright red, a power color. He seemed pretty young to be a VP, mid-thirties at
best, so I figured he was confident and driven, a man who was used to getting his way.

When I was situated, Nick gave me a brief smile. His calculating eyes took in my appearance, and he said, “Making good use of the home’s amenities, I see.” His eyes shifted to
Kellan. “That’s good. You’ll need your rest now to get you through the launch.”

Kellan eyed me and nodded. Before anyone in the room could ask what Nick wanted, he told us,“I have good news. Great news.” Leaning forward, he clasped his fingers together. I noted
the lack of a wedding ring. “Diedrick Kraus just agreed to shoot the video for ‘Regretfully.’” When no one said anything, Nick smiled. “You have no idea who that is,
do you?”

“Sorry, no,” Kellan told him.

He waved off Kellan’s apology. “Diedrick Kraus is the genius behind some of the greatest music videos of our times. He’s exclusive. Hard to come by. We gave him a sample of
your song, and he wants to direct it.” Nick clapped his hands together. “No, he fucking insisted on it.”

I blinked at the use of profanity by such a high profile person, but Nick quickly moved on. Pointing at Kellan, he said, “Diedrick’s got a couple days available at the end of the
month, Sienna’s got a tiny break in her schedule, and we’ll squeeze it in for you during the promotional tour.” He lifted his hands to the sky. “I swear the stars aligned
for this.”

Kellan’s mouth opened as he glanced at his band mates. “We’re making a music video?” He looked back at Nick. “Do people even still watch those?”

A small frown turned down the executive’s lips before he righted them again. “Yes, they do.” His smile widening, he leaned forward so much I thought he might topple off of the
couch. “And we’ve got an opportunity here to stir the hornet’s nest.”

Confusion marred Kellan’s features. “I have no idea what that means.”

Nick shook his head. “It means we’re going to cause some serious buzz with this video. Ever since the public caught wind of you and Sienna in that photograph, there has been a
firestorm of interest. Everyone is curious about Sienna’s new man.”

“I’m not her man,” Kellan interjected.

Nick ignored him. “We’re going to fuel the flames of Kellan and Sienna madness, and ride the hype to the top of the charts.”

My heart sank as I looked at the eager expression on Nick’s face. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but I was sure I wasn’t going to like it. His demeanor radiating caution,
Kellan asked, “What do you mean?”

Excitement on his face, Nick spread his fingers. “We’re going to play up the romantic portion of the song, make the video seriously hot. Naked bodies, deep kisses, moaning and
groaning, whatever we can get away with.” Winking at Kellan, he added, “Anyone who watches it will immediately need to take a very cold shower. The buzz around you and Sienna is going
to skyrocket.”

I wanted to stand up and tell this scheming moneybags that Kellan would be doing no such thing, but knowing it wasn’t my place right now to say anything, I grit my jaw tight.
Kellan’s face went the opposite way; his mouth dropped open. “The song is about a breakup,” he sputtered, mystified.

Nick nodded, steepling his fingers under his chin. “Yes, and what great breakup didn’t start off with a fiery romance?”

The room was silent for a moment. Evan and Matt were staring at me, making my cheeks heat. Griffin was ear-to-ear smiles. I wasn’t sure if he was happy about filming the music video in
general, or about watching Kellan film a scene with Sienna that would make him need “to take a very cold shower.” Probably a little of both.

Finally, Kellan told Nick, “I’m married. I can’t do that.”

Griffin volunteered immediately. “I can!”

Ignoring Griffin’s outburst, Nick gave Kellan a hard stare. The look on his face made goose bumps break out on my arms. Definitely a man who was used to getting his way. “I’m
not asking you to have an affair with the woman. That part is entirely up to you.” He smirked and flicked a quick glance at me. As I glowered, his eyes returned to Kellan’s.
“I’m merely asking you to film a
fictional
video with her to a song that you’ve already recorded, a song that we own, by the way.” He pointed at Kellan with laced
fingers, and a chilly smile touched his lips.

Leaning back, he placed his hands on his thighs like he was going to stand. “Entertaining the masses is part of your job description, and sometimes that includes acting. If we’d
known you were . . . unwilling . . . to do that, we wouldn’t have signed you.” Standing, he narrowed his eyes and took an intimidating stance above Kellan. “All I’m asking
for here is for you to buck it up and do your fucking job. And in case you couldn’t tell . . . I’m not really asking.” His voice was ice cold; it raised the hair on the back of my
neck and filled my stomach with lead. Shifting his focus from Kellan, Nick walked out of the room.

There was a thick layer of silence in the room after Nick left. You could have heard a pin drop. Not surprisingly, Griffin was the first to pop the stillness with a loud exclamation.
“Dude! You get to film-fuck Sienna Sexton! High five!” He held his hand up in the air, palm exposed to Kellan in congratulations.

Still shocked at this turn of events, I had no comment to Griffin’s statement. Kellan glared at the bassist, then seemed to realize that was pointless and shifted his gaze to the
floor.

He was silent one moment longer, then abruptly stood. Staring at the door Nick had strode through, Kellan’s face hardened. “This is bullshit.”

He stormed out of the room, harshly brushing past my legs in the process. Evan stood in his wake. “Kellan?”