Effortless (9 page)

Loving the shivers he was sending up my body, but knowing that I
couldn’t lounge in a bed with him today, unfortunately, I stepped
away and again pointed to his pillows. “I don’t need to get you any
more riled up than you constantly are, by giving you a peep
show.”

Expertly slipping on my jeans while still having the towel
firmly around my chest, I watched him chuckle and relax back down
on his mattress. “Fine,” he muttered sullenly. “I’ll just remember
that the next time you’re staring at
my
body.”

I paused in pulling my blouse out of my bag and met his eye.
Knowing that I actually did stare at him quite a bit, I sighed and
let the towel drop to the floor. His smile was glorious as he took
in my plain, cream-colored bra and I looked away, embarrassed and a
little turned on by his attention.

Quickly counting to five, figuring that was long enough for him
to have a decent mental picture for the day, I tossed on my fitted,
button-up shirt. Pulling my long hair out of the back, the bulk of
it still damp, I rolled my eyes at the heat in his expression while
he continued to stare at my covered-up chest. Men.

Clearing my throat finally brought his eyesight up. Locking
gazes with me, he smiled devilishly. “Well now I’m turned on and
you can’t go. You’re just going to have to stay here with me
today.”

Laughing, I leaned over the bed to kiss him. He seemed to think
that was a green light and grabbed my body, pulling me on top of
him. Giggling in his mouth while we softly moved against the other,
I was grateful that his mood had improved from the conversation
earlier this morning. I really didn’t like him down about Denny,
especially since he had no reason to be. I understood though. I’d
hurt him so many times while I’d been with Denny. Both of them
really. I had no desire to ever hurt a man again.

As our kiss got more intense, Kellan’s body started telling me
that he really hadn’t been kidding about being in the mood. I
reluctantly pulled away from his mouth. “I wish I could stay with
you.” Frowning, I sulked. “I’m not really looking forward to
today.”

Sighing, he cupped my cheeks and searched my eyes. “Someday,
I’ll get you to feel like the confident woman who was prancing
around in her underwear last night, all of the time.” Running his
hand back through my hair, he added. “You are a beautiful,
intelligent woman with a boyfriend who adores you. You have nothing
to fear…ever.”

Smiling, I blushed and looked away. “Easy for you to say, rock
star.”

Pulling back, I stood and found my comb. Running it through my
locks, I watched him laugh and sit up. “I get nervous.”

I gave him a very wry smile as I stopped mid-stroke. Yeah,
right. Kellan Kyle was never nervous. Not around people. Not about
his body or his looks. He oozed confidence in nearly everything he
did.

Tilting his head, he shrugged. “No, it’s true. In the beginning,
I used to get nervous on stage.”

Scrunching my brow, I finished unsnarling my hair.  “Let me
guess, you picture the crowd naked now?”

Chuckling, he stood up. “Nah, I had to stop doing that…turned me
on.”

Pushing his chest back as he came up to me, I laughed
unintentionally. “You’re impossible.”

Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes; he only grinned and shrugged.
“We all have our weaknesses,” he muttered playfully, sneaking
around behind me and holding me tight. “You will be great and I’ll
drive you every day if you want.” Chuckling, he added, “Maybe I’ll
sit in on a class or two.”

I laughed at the image of him bored beside me during lectures.
“I doubt the professor would like you snoring during class.”
Chuckling more, he kissed my neck.

Sighing, I rested my wet head on his shoulder and closed my
eyes, letting his peaceful scent wash over me. I’d decided to forgo
wearing his t-shirt to school, but maybe I could get his scent to
leech into my clothes. Keep him with me olfactorily. God, what was
I saying about not being consumed by him? I couldn’t help it. He
was…consuming.

Much sooner than I would have liked, the time was up for me to
go to class. As promised, Kellan drove me to school. His smile was
peaceful as he leaned back in his seat, one hand draped across my
thigh, the other casually holding the wheel straight. He seemed
like someone returning to a favorite activity after a long absence.
It made me smile that driving me around was such a pleasant
experience for him. I’d think most people would get tired of it
after a couple of weeks. Not Kellan though, he never complained
about all of the various places that I needed to go. It was just
one of the many ways he showed his affection. For never having been
a boyfriend before, I was constantly surprised at how good he was
at it. Then again, Kellan was good at most things he tried…except
pool…and, as I’d found out last night, poker.

Smiling at the image of him in black, silky boxers, pizza in
hand as he twirled me around the kitchen, I didn’t even notice when
we finally stopped. I blinked and looked around when he shut off
the car.

The University of Washington. Located on the other side of Lake
Union from the heart of downtown Seattle, it was a massive campus,
more like a small city. Several of the local businesses surrounding
it survived solely on the influx of college kids coming into and
out of this school every year. 

I’d gotten to know this area pretty well after my time here. I
wasn’t really that nervous about knowing where everything was,
although my ethics class was in a building that I’d never had to go
into last year, it was more walking into a room full of strangers
that tangled my nerves. I was not a big fan of being the focus of
people’s attention. Which made walking beside Kellan both a
blessing and a curse.

It was a blessing, one, because I loved having him around, but
mainly because when he was beside me, people tended to look at him.
He just had that aura. The face, the hair, the body, the
swagger—everything about him made you take notice. And for girls,
the notice was usually a long one.

It was a curse because, now that we were together, he was a
fountain of affection. Our light hand holds last year were arms
around each other’s waists now. As he laughed along to some comment
my parents had made last week about him needing to earn a real
living, since being in a band was not a viable career for the man
their daughter was dating, a lot of eyes flicked from him to settle
on me. Much like at the bar, I got the feeling that I was being
judged as I walked along, judged if I was worthy to belong to the
rock-god. And because Kellan was right about my general lack of
confidence, I couldn’t help but think that I came up short in their
eyes.

Lifting my chin, I forced it from my mind. What did it matter if
a bunch of random people didn’t think I was worthy of Kellan?
Kellan did, and really, what other opinion did I need?

Laughing along with him, I nearly ran right into a small swarm
stopped in the hallway.

Kellan pulled me back right before I collided with a man that
seemed about seven feet tall. He hovered over Kellan, who was at
least a couple of inches over six feet. The dark-haired boy had a
huge smile on his face as he pointed at Kellan.

“Hey, aren’t you that guy? The singer of that band? The
D-Bags?”

Kellan’s face relaxed from a cautious expression into a natural
smile, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d thought the guy was
going to start a fight with him. There was a time when Kellan
didn’t care too much about other people’s relationships. “Kellan,
yeah….I’m a D-Bag.” He laughed a little after his comment, amused
by his own band’s name.

I shook my head at him, but the man and his small group of
similarly tall friends crowded around, eager to talk to the
semi-famous man they’d stumbled upon. Reaching out, the imposing
fan grabbed Kellan’s hand and shook it. “You were great at
Bumbershoot, man!” Then the group started in on the compliments and
questions.

They went on and on until I was afraid I was going to be late if
we stayed any longer. Kellan answered all of their questions, and
said polite thanks to all of their praises, then expertly released
himself from the conversation, waving goodbye as he turned us to
walk around the group. By the time he’d successfully disengaged
himself, Kellan had been invited to at least three different
parties.

Shaking my head as we approached my classroom, I laughed.
Looking over at me, he bumped my shoulder with his. “What?”

Tilting my head, I gave him a crooked grin. “Look at you,
finally getting some male fans.”

Laughing as he opened the door for me, he shook his head. “We’ve
always had male fans, Kiera.” Raising an eyebrow, he added, “You
just choose to fixate on the female ones.”

Brushing past his body as I walked by him, I paused and leaned
into his face. “Well, that’s because they fixate on you,” I
whispered, letting my mouth almost touch his.

Biting his lip, I heard him groan a little. “Look at
you…becoming a seductress,” he whispered.

I blushed and immediately stepped away from him.

I heard his laughter behind me, but didn’t turn to look. Soft
lips greeted my cheek as his hands rested on my hips. “Have fun,”
he whispered in my ear.

I wanted to sigh and lean into him again, but female giggling
reminded me that I wasn’t alone with him in his bedroom. No, I was
in front of a classroom, sort of being inappropriate with my
boyfriend. Oh well, at least he’d managed to not make me nervous
about my entrance.

With my cheeks flaming red from the embarrassment of our private
moment being watched, I gave him a soft peck and told him that I
would. Then I made a beeline to a seat in the middle, away from the
chuckling women watching my man’s backside as he waved and left the
room.

After a rousing debate on the influence of sexism in early
feminist literature, I was feeling right as rain with school again.
I knew that would happen. Once I was settled, things were always
fine. It was just the process of getting there that frazzled my
nerves.  After lit was my ethics class. Now that I was
comfortable, I was looking forward to this one, although, I had a
feeling I’d be doing a lot a soul searching in it. Ethics and I had
crossed paths recently, and I’m not sure that I fell on the right
side of the morality line. No, no I’m pretty sure I’d failed
miserably. Kellan and I both. Maybe I could do a paper about it? It
would probably be cathartic.

Walking into the brick-and-mortar building, just as much a piece
of art as a functional structure, my eyes swung across someone I
hadn’t seen in a while, someone I really wasn’t all that interested
in seeing again. Hovering by the front doors, I watched a familiar
redhead with tight, bouncy curls talking to a couple of her
friends. I recognized all three—Candy, and her two chatty
spy-friends. They’d each bugged me about Kellan before. Candy the
most, since she was the one that found sleeping with him an
enjoyable pastime.

Well, that diversion was shut to her now, and she’d just have to
get her kicks somewhere else. A small smile on my face, I watched
as they laughingly trailed down the hall a few paces in front of
me. I sighed when they all walked into the classroom that I also
needed to walk into. I’d had a class with Candy before, last spring
actually, when Kellan and I had finally gotten together for good.
Guess I had another class with her. And, of course, this would be
the class I had every day. And an ethics class to boot. Joy. I bet
the universe was laughing its head off at the irony.

Shaking my head and rolling my eyes, I walked into the room
amidst a small flurry of butterflies in my belly. They settled
quickly once the people already seated looked up, then looked back
down. Well, all but three looked back down. Candy and her friends
continued to stare as I made my way to a section nowhere near them.
I felt the eyes on my back as I sat down and grabbed a notebook,
doodling like a mad woman.

I waited to feel the presence of Candy moving to sit beside me.
When I finally felt a body approaching, I cringed and peeked up. It
was only some strait-laced guy, though. He gave me a look that
said,
Good, she doesn’t seem like a talker, maybe I’ll be able
to hear if I sit next to her
, then sat down beside me. I
resumed my drawing, glad that at least Kellan’s ex-fling wasn’t
going to disrupt my learning.

No, she left me completely alone…all the way until after
class.

Mentally going over the teacher’s explanation on the difference
between ethics and morals, I didn’t notice her approaching at
first. I didn’t notice her until she and her friends had me sort of
surrounded. Looking between the three walking out of the class
beside me, I sighed softly and prayed that Kellan was waiting for
me by his car, and not right outside the front doors.

Sidling up close to my side, Candy tilted her head at me. “So,
rumor has it that you and Kellan Kyle are a thing now. Like, a real
thing.”

Peeking over at her, I considered stopping and extending my hand
in a formal introduction, since we’d never, ever had one. I didn’t
though, only shrugged and muttered, “Yep.”

She scoffed, her clone-like friends around her giggling. “So it
doesn’t bother you that he’s a whore.”