Thoughtless (38 page)

298

Tonight was going to be…interesting.

We arrived at the club named Spanks that Griffin had recommended to Kellan. Knowing Griffin and his…tastes, I was really unsure about walking into this place. Kellan assured us that it was just a normal club with a weird name and the music was good. Of course, Kellan would find it only too amusing to convince us all to go to some S&M club.

Come to think of it, Anna would find that amusing too. In some ways, they were too perfectly matched. That thought saddened me a little.

The music was pleasantly loud, even from the outside. Denny grabbed my hand and grinning, helped me from his car. Kellan had driven his own car. Anna had, predictably, darted into his car before I could say anything. He’d managed to find a spot a few spaces away from us and Kellan helped Anna get out of his car too. They walked over to Denny and me looking like super models.

My sister adjusted her ridiculously short dress and checked her slinky black high heels before giving me a quick hug. I couldn’t help the jealousy that sprang through me at her beauty. Her lips were bright red again, her green eyes popping out gloriously from her expertly done mascara, and her shiny hair was curled into perfect, large rolls, that bounced effortlessly when she moved, the red streaks peaking out through the bottom layers enticingly. If Kellan’s perfection could be somehow morphed into a woman…it would be my sister. For a split-second, I couldn’t help the thought that if she and Kellan had children, they would be breathtaking. That thought instantly irritated me.

Anna grabbed Kellan’s hand and led him to the front door. He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. Denny put his arm around me as we followed them across the lot. I was grateful for that. I was suddenly very cold.

The burly man attending the rope to the packed club, took one look at Kellan and Anna approaching him, and instantly raised the rope for them. Well, of course. The super-hot people don’t need to wait in line.

Kellan paused at the rope and waited for Denny and me, the less-hot people, to make sure we got inside too.

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Spanks really was just a cleverly weird name, to draw people in, or something. The inside was, thankfully, a typical generic club. Some couches here and there, long tables with bar stools, some mildly interesting art thrown on the walls, a long bar taking up the far wall across from the entrance, and slightly around a corner, the crowd of moving bodies on the dance floor - that was massive. The music was pleasantly deafening. I was glad for it, and for the confusing mass of bodies. I was ready to disappear.

Denny, Anna and I, found a free spot on one of the long tables while Kellan braved the four-person deep mob, waiting for drinks at the bar.

He was back in record time though, and I couldn’t help but notice the female bartender giving him disgustingly inappropriate looks. It irritated me, for some reason.

Kellan handed everyone a shot of…something. I sniffed it and immediately made a face. I snapped my eyes up to where he was grinning at me with an eyebrow raised. Tequila? He had actually brought us all tequila? He set down a container of limes and some salt while I looked at him incredulously. Everyone around me set up their shot, no one having a problem with Kellan’s drink choice. I braced myself and prepared mine as well.

Kellan laughed softly, which thankfully got swallowed up in the noise, and no one else but me noticed. He dipped his finger in the tequila to wet the back of his hand, and the memory of him doing that on our first night together suddenly overcame me so fast, that I had to close my eyes and breathe deep.

“You okay?” Denny leaned over and said in my ear.

I opened my eyes and looked over at his concerned face. “Yeah…” I glared over at Kellan. “I’m just not a big fan of tequila.” Kellan smiled wider. “Really? You struck me as the type that would…love it.”

My sister butted in, as Kellan laughed again and I frowned. “Well, I love it…cheers!”

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Kellan raised an eyebrow and his glass, and toasting Anna, they did their shots together. They both laughed as they sucked on their limes.

Denny raised his glass and I stubbornly raised mine, and toasting him, we did our shots together. Feeling a little snotty, I took Denny’s lime…from his mouth, lingering for a long kiss.

While kissing a surprised, but willing, Denny, I heard my sister yell,

“Wooo…there’s my girl!”

Pulling back, I risked a glance at Kellan. He no longer looked amused.

He clenched his jaw. Then half-grinning sexily, he looked over at Anna and extended a hand out to her. “Want to?” He nodded over to the dance floor, and she eagerly nodded her head. They disappeared into the crowd, his hand on her lower back…her extreme lower back. He glanced back at me once, an odd glint in his eye as they were swallowed by the throng.

I swallowed my ire and focused on my own date.

“They make a good couple,” Denny said, also watching them leave.

I swallowed again and forcibly shoved all irritation aside, making myself relax completely for the first time in what felt like forever. Denny was looking at me adoringly, a big goofy grin on his beautiful face. He nodded over to the dance floor, and I eagerly nodded back.

Dancing was a loose term in a club this full. It was more like tightly-packed, rhythmic moving. Denny grabbed my hand, so we wouldn’t get separated in the massive swarm, and then pulled us to a more central location. It was already getting warm and I was glad for my breezy outfit choice. I had no idea what the song playing was, and I didn’t care. The beat was heavy, and drowned out every thought in my cramped head.

Denny grabbed my waist and we moved closely together. I laughed and threw my arms around his neck. Sometimes I forgot just how attractive Denny was. He had the first three buttons undone on his shirt and his skin showed through enticingly. His hair was perfectly piecey and fabulously styled, and I ran my fingers back through the short layers near his neck, making him smile.

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The women around us sure hadn’t missed him. As we had moved into place, they barely registered me, before turning to look at him with open interest on their faces. Denny took no notice of them, he never did. His eyes were purely for me. He leaned in close to kiss me softly, his warm eyes sparkling. I ran a finger along the wonderfully light hair following his jaw line and sighed happily, letting the music, and his body, carry away my troubles.

We never saw Kellan and Anna again. I made myself not wonder about where they’d taken off to in the club, and about how provocatively they must be grinding together. I made myself not think about them possibly having abandoned us here, to find a more intimate setting else-where. Eventually, I managed to block out everything in my head, and loud music, gyrating bodies, and thumping bass were all I cared about.

That and having Denny close to me. My bliss lasted for what felt like hours.

The heat was building, as close to the center of the mob as we were.

Denny made a drinking motion with his hand, since hearing someone in this noise was virtually impossible, indicating that he was ready for the next round. I playfully pushed him away and shook my head, not ready to give up my music-induced sanctuary. I kissed him swiftly and pointed to the ground, to let him know I would stay in this spot.

He fought his way back through the crowd, the women watching him as he passed. I sighed and shook my head as he rounded the corner to the bar. Yes, my man was beautiful, and completely unaware of it. I closed my eyes and focused on the music, happy and content. Mindless.

I froze when a strong, familiar hand came up behind me and floated up under my slinky shirt, to rest on my bare stomach. My eyes flashed open, but I didn’t need to turn and look. I knew his touch only too well, instantly recognized the fire burning in my belly. In my happiness, I had almost forgotten Kellan was still here. Had he been watching? I was beyond shocked that he would make a move after we’d ended things, and with Denny and Anna here? He pulled me back into his hip and we moved together suggestively with the music. What had been fun and innocent with Denny, was now so much more intense. I felt naked.

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The heat in the room seemed to double. I could feel a bead of sweat form between my shoulder blades and start to roll down the exposed skin of my low-cut back. His free hand brushed aside a few strands of hair on my neck, that had fallen from where the rest was pulled back, sending electricity shooting through my spine. He bent down and slowly brushed the bead of sweat away with his tongue, following the salty trail up past my shoulder blades, to the back of my neck, biting the skin very, very softly. I inhaled sharply, my vision swam. Damn…

Apparently, since we had completely ended things, all innocent pretensions went out the window. Not good. I needed to stop this.

Against my will though, I closed my eyes again and melted into him.

One of my hands rested on his hand over my stomach, the other wrapped around behind him, to rest on his hip. My breathing sped as I rested my head back against his chest. His hand on my stomach moved down fractionally, his thumb resting on the button of my jeans. It was enough to make me gasp and I interlaced our fingers and clenched his hand. I wanted to run, I wanted to claw my way through the crowd and find Denny, return to my sanctuary, get away from the scorching sensation Kellan drove throughout my body. But that was in my mind. My body shivered, my hand on his hip ran down the front of his thigh, and my head…slowly turned around towards him.

His other hand grabbed my chin, and roughly pulled my lips to his. I moaned, the sound lost in the driving music. Weeks of escalating flirting, tempting each other with our touching, our bodies, and our lips, but never caving to the wanton desire between us, had left me craving him more than I had realized. I couldn’t press against his lips hard enough, my whole body burned with the need of it. I couldn’t even think of stopping him now.

His lips parted and his tongue touched the roof of my mouth. Fire erupted throughout my whole body. I lost even more of the fragile hold on my control. I spun in his hands, turning to face him, and pressed myself completely into his embrace, never breaking the connection of our lips, never opening my eyes. My heart racing even harder, I threw my hands up and knotted them in the back of his thick hair. His hands ran up my bare back, under my shirt, and pulled me even closer. We were already both panting in-between the brief breaks in our lips.

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The heat, the throbbing music, his strong hands, his fast breath, his scent, his taste, his soft lips and exploring tongue – all of it was driving me insane. One of his hands ran down my backside, and he grabbed my upper thigh, pulling my leg slightly up his hip. From that position, it was painfully obvious how much Kellan wanted me. I groaned, wanting him right that minute as well. My eyes opened and I pulled away from his lips, resting my head against his and panting softly. My hands automatically started unbuttoning his shirt, uncharacteristically not caring where we were. His eyes burned, watching me intently.

Some of the women around us had noticed Kellan, and were watching him lasciviously. So far, no one seemed to care how intimate we had become, or were about to become. He closed his eyes and roughly exhaled when I was halfway done with his shirt. He gripped my body tight and crushed his lips back down to mine. We couldn’t stay here like this for much longer. It was like I was a different person, being absorbed into his passion. I didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to stop myself from making this far too graphic for such a public place. I wanted him to take me somewhere…anywhere.

I had two buttons left on his shirt, when he suddenly roughly pushed me away from him. Then he turned to melt into the crowd, his face breathless, but unreadable. I panted, confused, and attempted to catch my breath.

That was when I felt Denny grab my hand and pull me into him. I hadn’t noticed his return. Did he see anything? Did I look different to him? I searched his eyes, but they only looked happy to see me. He must have written off the sweat and breathlessness to the dancing.

Then I did something that would later haunt me. I pressed into Denny, grabbing his face roughly in my hands and kissing him – hard. Excitement coursed through my body, as in my mind’s eye, I pictured being with Kellan again. Denny reacted with surprise for half a second, then returned my kiss eagerly. Disgusted with myself, I could not stop kissing him, wanting him, needing him – knowing all too well, that while Denny was with me physically, that was not who I was ravishing. From somewhere in the club, I could feel eyes burning into me.

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“Take me home,” I moaned into his ear.

Much, much later, I sat up in bed, naked, and glanced over at Denny’s sleeping form next to me. Guilt washed through me. If he ever knew what I had just done…who I had just mentally replaced him with… I tried to swallow, but my throat was too dry. Suddenly desperately thirsty, I grabbed the first piece of clothing I could find, and stood to put it on. Denny’s button-up shirt was closest to my side of the bed. It smelled wonderfully of him as I slipped it on.

Wanting the clean, cold water from the fridge, I made my way to the stairs. I paused for only the slightest fraction of a second as I passed Kellan’s door. A small part of me hoped he somehow hadn’t just heard that.

I couldn’t imagine what he would think while listening to Denny and me. I hadn’t exactly been quiet. Picturing Kellan in my head like that had made me lose all control. I frowned, not liking that thought at all.

I made my way into the kitchen, thinking about Kellan, about what had happened at the club, how intense it had gotten between us, how much I had wanted him, how much he had wanted me. Things were getting dangerous between us. I wasn’t sure what to do.

I glanced out the window and stopped. His car wasn’t there. Kellan still wasn’t home? I went back to the living room. Anna wasn’t there?

Oh god, they were still out together…alone. I instantly thought of half-dozen places, and positions, that they could be in. The thought made me feel ill, and then I felt guilty. I settled on angry. Whatever was going on between Kellan and I, he had promised – promised! – that he wouldn’t sleep with Anna.