Effortless

Page 29

Sighing contently under me, he rested his head in the crook of my neck. "I love you, too."
We stayed like that for a minute more, until I started to shiver and people started knocking on the door again. Stumbling and fumbling around, we managed to get dressed with everything we'd come into the room wearing. At least, I hoped so. I'd hate for Griffin to find anything of mine that I might have missed.
When Kellan opened the bathroom door and we stepped through it, every eye turned our way. I blinked, my head swimming as I wondered why everyone was staring at me. Then the whistles started and people nearby clapped Kellan on the back. Thinking they were still congratulating him on his upcoming trip, I shrugged and smiled. People laughed even more at my reaction.
Biting back a smile, Kellan led me into the living room. Once we were in the center, Griffin approached us. I naturally took a step away from him, but grinning broadly, he stepped right up to me, handing me a bottled beer.
"Kiera, I think I love you," he gushed. Cringing, I took the beer and drank it, just so he'd back up a step.
Laughing, Griffin smacked Kellan on the chest. "You are the luckiest f**king son of a bitch." Handing Kellan a beer from his other hand, Griffin playfully scowled. "I mean, I hated you before, but now, I really can't stand you."
Kellan started nodding and pushing Griffin's shoulder away, repeatedly glancing at me like he was worried I'd start to flip out. My fuzzy mind was too hazed to know why. Shaking my head at Griffin's odd comments, I tipped back my beer again. The alcohol had just hit my lips when Griffin said, "That was so hot...like, off the scales hot. You guys should make a porno...I'd totally buy it!"
The people around us laughed at his comment and I started choking on the beer I'd just swallowed. Wait? What was Griffin talking about? What was hot? Wait...did he say porno? My drunken cheeks flushed at just the thought.
Just as comments and the crowd's stares and laughter slowly began clicking into place for me, Kellan shoved Griffin away from us and made his way to the stereo. Turning it up loud again, he hopped onto a nearby coffee table. With Kellan dancing up there like he was at a club downtown, I stopped trying to piece together the mystery that was Griffin. I really didn't want to think about him and his rude comments anyway.
Kellan extended a hand out to me as a group of girls immediately started encircling on the floor around him. Giggling, I joined him on Matt and Griffin's sturdy furniture. Laughing, Kellan and I finished our beers as we danced. Kellan sang all of the fun, anthem songs to the crowd, riling them up to party more, but he sang the sweeter songs directly to me, moving our bodies together in a rhythm that was both beautiful and erotic. I finally felt equal to every gorgeous girl in the room with the way he stared at me, moved with me, sang to me. For several wonderful, hazy-brained hours, we were all able to put aside the painful moments that were quickly approaching with the dawn, when the boys would be leaving, and we danced the rest of the night away. Well, the rest of the early morning.
My head felt like someone was banging on a gong when I groggily woke up the next day. My mouth was dry, too. So dry, it hurt. I wanted water, but I was too afraid to move. I didn't want my banging head to turn into a spinning stomach.
Peeking an eye open, I risked a glance at my environment. I really didn't see anything, other than the body I was smashed against. A t-shirt filled most of my vision and I froze, trying to remember how and when I'd fallen asleep. Everything from last night was so blurry that I wasn't even sure where I'd fallen asleep.
Hoping against hope that the body lying underneath me was Kellan, I attempted to lift my head. The gong increased in volume, my vision flexed in and out. Finally, I was able to focus on a pair of perfectly plump lips. Exhaling in relief as I took in the familiarity of Kellan's face, I focused on the rest of my body.
Sore and a little achy, I was lying on top of Kellan, nearly head to foot. The two of us were cuddled up on a long, narrow couch, Kellan just inches away from the edge of it. It wasn't my garish couch or Kellan's lumpy one either. My arms were heavy as they rested on his chest. My legs felt leaden as they were tangled up with his. Even my girly parts felt overworked...although, I wasn't sure why.
I was sure I'd be feeling the overindulgence of the previous evening for the next three days. Groaning softly, I felt the warm arms laced around my waist tighten. "Mornin'."
Flinching a little at his soft words, I shut my eyes. Peeking just one open, I looked up at him. "I'm right here, you don't have to be so noisy," I whispered.
Chuckling as he stretched his body beneath mine, he opened his eyes to gaze at me. Bringing a hand up to run a finger back through my hair, he quietly whispered, "How do you feel?"
Cringing, I leaned into his hand and he obligingly held my head. I was immediately grateful, since I didn't have the strength to keep it up anymore. "Like a marching band took up residence in my skull."
He grinned, looking tired but in much better shape than I. His eyes glanced down my body. "How's your stomach?"
Not wanting to give my stomach the opportunity to revolt by giving it any attention, I shrugged. "It's fine...for now." Grimacing and trying to swallow with my completely parched throat, I added, "I'm mainly thirsty."
Kellan nodded, like he'd expected as much. "Matt's not up yet, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind you getting some water out of his fridge." He grinned a little devilishly, then added, "Unless you'd prefer the water from the bathroom."
My eyes widened at hearing that we were still at Matt's. I supposed that was a good thing, since neither of us had been in driving condition last night. We must have literally danced until we crashed. I vaguely remembered being tired and sitting down with him. Sitting must have turned into lying, and that must have turned into sleep.
Lifting my head off his hand, I took in his devilish expression as he watched me. Shaking my head, very carefully, as it was throbbing, I furrowed my brows. "Why do you look like...?" My thoughts drifted off as his comment stung my ears. The bathroom... Even vaguer memories of a tiny, enclosed place echoing with heated sounds of sex filled my brain.
Forgetting my head and my hangover, I sat up straight on his lap. He grunted a bit as my weight shifted to his sensitive parts. My eyes wide, I said at full volume, "Did we have sex in the bathroom?"
We both cringed at my statement and I rethought my assessment that Kellan was fine. Peeking an eye at me, he chuckled. My cheeks heated as I desperately hoped that no one else had heard me say that. Slow and seductive, Kellan murmured, "Oh...yeah."
My eyes widened and I hoped that nobody at the party knew about that moment. As Kellan smiled at me, a satisfied expression sliding over his momentary pain, memories fought their way to the surface. Memories of people clapping...whistling...cheering...Griffin...
My hands flew to my mouth as I started shaking my head. "Oh my God." Slowly lowering my fingers, my head suddenly felt fine in comparison to the dread in my veins. I whispered, "Did they all hear us?"
Looking anywhere that wasn't me, Kellan bit his lip. "Well...we really weren't being quiet and it is a pretty small bathroom...so..."
Groaning again, I dropped my head to his chest. "Oh my God," I muttered, mortified.
Chuckling under me, Kellan rubbed my back. "Don't worry about it, Kiera. Everyone told me they thought it was hot."
I jerked my head up, regretting the quick movement, but needing to glare at him. "Everyone?"
Twisting his lip, he shrugged. "Just the few I talked to after you passed out."
Dropping my head back to his chest, I whimpered. Good God, everyone at the party had listened to me hav**g s*x. And I was remembering it more and more now that we were talking about it. It had been good sex. It had been great sex. It had been loud sex! I could never show my face in public again, let alone ever go back to Pete's. "Oh my God..."
Still chuckling lightly underneath me, Kellan kissed my head. "You were letting go, Kiera...I liked it." As I collected my embarrassment, mixing that pain with my aching body, Kellan whispered, "Was that your first time in a bathroom in the middle of a party?"
Tilting my head at him, I lifted an eyebrow and pursed my lips. "Yeah, that was a definite first."
Fully smiling, he laced his arms over my back, pulling the rest of my body down to his. "Good," he replied spunkily. When I furrowed my brows, he shrugged and added, "I like giving you firsts, remember?"
Not able to help myself, I shook my head and smiled at him. Then, remembering something else, I frowned. "Did Griffin seriously say we needed to make porn?" Kellan twisted his lips and nodded. I groaned, sagging my head back down to his chest. "Oh, because he heard us...heard me. Goddamn it."
Kellan laughed at my seldom use of swear words and rubbed my back soothingly. "You'll live, Kiera. And on the bright side, it will be a night you'll probably never forget." I took a second to peek up and smirk at him before lowering my head back to his chest. He was definitely right about that...I would never forget Griffin telling me that he'd gladly buy my sex tape. "And don't be embarrassed...I'm not."
I lifted my head to look at him again and he happily shook his. "You were hot, and every guy in that place wanted to be me in that bathroom. I don't feel the least bit bad that every man was jealous," he grabbed my hips, pulling me into him, "as long as you're only mine."
Smiling, I shook my head. "I am."
Lifting his head up to lightly kiss me, he grinned. "Good."
Snuggling back down with him, I tried to let the drunken evening go, so I could concentrate on the current moment. I had an eternity to beat myself up over the mortifying situation I'd put myself in at a huge going away party, but I only had a few hours left with the man who had my heart, the man who stole my breath.
Sighing, I snuggled my head into his chest and tried not to think about him leaving. I couldn't yet, it was too hard. Instead, I focused on what my body was telling me, I needed water...and aspirin. While he rubbed my back and kissed my head, I murmured, "Do you want some water? I could bring you some?"
Stretching underneath me again, he inhaled a big breath. "No, but I could use some coffee...I'll come with you."
I nodded and prepared my body to move. Kellan was so comfortable to lie on, my body rebelled, staying exactly where it was. Kellan chuckled a few moments later when I still hadn't moved. "Need help?" he whispered.
I smiled, my head still resting against his chest, almost above the tattoo of my name. His arms holding me close to his body, he sat up. I could feel his muscles flexing under his clothes and I couldn't stop myself from picturing that hard body in its natural state-completely bare.
I giggled at first as he adjusted us both to standing, then groaned as my head loudly complained about the new angle; it had preferred lying down. Biting my lip, I swayed a little on my feet. Kellan's hands came up to massage my temples and I smiled at him gratefully; it felt wonderful against my throbbing skull. His face was weary, but still perfect. He did not look like a man who'd been slinging back alcohol all night. With his hair all crazy from sleeping on the couch, and slight stubble along his jaw, he looked...yummy.