Thoughtful (Thoughtless #1.5)(62)
Author: S.C. Stephens

Denny had left the TV on, and I idly watched it while Anna worked. It almost made me laugh that she was taking the opportunity to squish her breasts into my back. Kiera came down while Anna was messing with my hair. I heard Anna greet her, tell her she looked great, and I twisted my head around to look. Anna was right…she looked incredible. She had on a sexy pair of black jeans that, without looking trashy, hugged her like a second skin. Her hair was pulled up, exposing her neck and the tops of her shoulders. Her shirt was a low-cut, fiery red, thin-strapped tank top that did more to accentuate her body than Anna’s clingy outfit ever could. And from what I could tell, she wasn’t wearing a bra. Just looking at her made a surge of desire shoot through me. Jesus, did she wear that just to tease me? How the hell was I going to get through this?

Denny came down the steps behind her, whispered something in her ear, then kissed her neck. Watching the affection was like having a dagger shoved into my gut. She was so intoxicating though, I couldn’t turn away. God, she’s beautiful.

Denny stepped down to stand beside Kiera, and I instantly caught the fact that out of all of us, Denny was the only one wearing white. How appropriate. He had a mystified look on his face, and I swear I heard him ask Kiera, “She’s not going to do that to me, is she?”

He was studying my hair as he asked, so I figured he wasn’t impressed with Anna’s handiwork. I wondered if I was going to look like a porcupine once she was through. Denny and Kiera walked into the living room. Denny sat on the chair, then patted his lap. Kiera glanced at me, but then she joined him. I swallowed the pain working its way up my throat and made my expression stay even. It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t bother me…

With forced casualness, Kiera asked her sister, “What are you doing, Anna?”

“Doesn’t he have the best fuck-me hair! Don’t you just want to…? Uh!” Anna grabbed handfuls of my hair and pulled. The sting made me flinch, but the comment made me smile. Yeah, Kiera, don’t you want to?

Anna’s fingers continued in my hair. It felt nice, but nowhere near as nice as Kiera’s touch. “He’s letting me clubify it. He’s going to be the hottest thing in there. No offense or anything.”

I peeked up to see Denny laugh. “None taken, Anna.”

Silence filled the room. While everyone watched Anna, I watched Kiera. Her face was a mixture of interest and irritation. I had a feeling she didn’t like Anna doing something so intimate to me. Well, considering the fact that I didn’t like Kiera making herself at home on Denny’s lap, I figured we were even.

When Kiera’s cheeks turned even rosier and she looked away, I couldn’t help but ask her opinion. “What do you think?”

Denny was the one who answered me though. “Uhhh…looks great, man,” he said with a laugh.

Anna seemed offended that he didn’t love it. “Oh, you just don’t understand girls, Denny. They’ll go nuts for this. Right, Kiera?”

I had to laugh at Anna dragging Kiera back into the conversation. I bet this was a question she was thrilled to answer too. Looking embarrassed and unsure what to say, she muttered, “Yeah, sure, Anna. He’ll be—”

Unable to stop myself, I interjected with the term Kiera had used once before to describe me. “Man-candy?”

Anna squealed and slipped her arms around me. “Oohhh…I like that!”

Kiera didn’t. Eyes narrowed, she spat out, “Are we ready to go?”

Nodding, I stood up. I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to get through this, but I was definitely ready to get it over with.

Not wanting to be stuck in a car all night with Denny and Kiera, I suggested to Denny that we take separate cars. I figured then, if it got too hard to handle, I could bail without leaving everyone else high and dry. Anna, of course, climbed in with me, while Kiera naturally rode with her boyfriend. Once we arrived at the place Griffin had suggested, a dance club comically named Spanks, I made sure we all got inside, then took off to buy everyone the first round.

The line for drinks was thick, but as I approached, the bartender motioned me forward. Knowing Kiera was going to hate it, I ordered tequila. After the bartender eagerly filled four shot glasses, I carefully pinched them together with my fingers. Grabbing the salt and the container of limes in my other hand, I bumped and slid my way around people to get to the table. Kiera looked surprised to see me return so fast. I watched her look over at the bar, then frown. The bartender must still be staring my way then; she’d been eye-fucking me the entire time I’d placed the order. Well, sorry, Kiera, it’s not like I can help how people react to me.

After I passed out the drinks, Kiera returned her attention to our table. Picking up her shot glass, she sniffed it. I knew my grin was childish, but I couldn’t help it. The look on her face was priceless. I could almost hear her thoughts. Tequila? Are you kidding me? No, Kiera, I’m not. We have a history, one you begged for. You cried for me, pleaded with me to stay. You’re jealous of the attention I’m giving your sister, because you care about me. Like it or not, you do care. I’m sure of it.

While she stared at me with disbelieving eyes, I set down the limes and salt. Anna and Denny started preparing their drinks, but Kiera seemed like she was going to outright refuse to do it. When she set her jaw and stubbornly started prepping her shot, a laugh escaped me. Teasing her was almost as much fun as making her jealous.

When I started making my drink, Kiera closed her eyes. I wondered if she was being flooded with memories…just like me. Please, Kellan…take me to your room…It was almost too much for me to take, and I almost stopped this charade right now, but Denny leaned over and said something to Kiera that broke me out of the sadness of the past. I wasn’t sure what he asked her, but her answer was directed at me. With icy eyes, she said, “Yeah…I’m just not a big fan of tequila.”

Considering what I’d just been reminiscing about, I found that amusing. “Really? You struck me as the type that would…love it.”

While Kiera frowned, I laughed and Anna offered up her opinion of the drink. “Well, I love it…Cheers!”

I raised my glass to hers and Anna and I did our shots together. It burned going down, and I thought that was appropriate too. Everything with Kiera burned a little, sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so much.

Denny raised his glass to Kiera, and the two of them copied Anna and me. Except for the last step. With a barely noticeable peek at me, Kiera took Denny’s lime from his mouth, then she stayed there in a long, lingering, fuck-you-and-your-tequila kiss. My sudden humor about the situation vanished.

While Denny kissed the woman I loved, Anna shouted her approval. “Wooo…there’s my girl!” I felt ill watching them make out. But when they pulled apart and Kiera shot me a glance, I felt even worse. So, she wanted to play mean, huh? Well, I could do mean.

Focusing my attention on Anna, I extended my hand and nodded toward the dance floor. “Want to?” I asked her. Anna enthusiastically agreed. After she practically leaped into my arms, I escorted her toward the floor with my hand almost on her ass. I glanced at Kiera before Anna and I were swallowed up by the crowd; she looked furious, and I was glad about it. I was a little upset myself. Yes, I’m taking off with your sister. Yes, my hands will be all over her body. And yes…every second that goes by, I’ll wish she were you.

Anna and I melted onto the dance floor, near the back corner of the room. Her arms instantly slipped around my neck, pulling me tight to her. She ground her body against mine, clearly trying to rev me up. I was already churning with emotions, but none of them were what Anna wanted from me. In my mind, as I looked down on Anna, all I saw was Kiera. Her full lips, her colorful eyes, her soulful smile. I couldn’t escape her. The music was rattling my chest, but I didn’t hear a word of it. Kiera filled my mind.

I could feel Anna pulling on my neck, trying to get my mouth closer to hers. I kept a rigid, unyielding posture that gave her no leeway though. With a small frown, she switched tactics. She ran her hands down my chest, then down my arms. My hands were resting on her sides, like how self-conscious preteens danced. Anna clearly wanted more. Grabbing my hands, she shifted them behind her, to her ass. “You can touch me,” she yelled above the music.

Flashing her a quick smile, I shifted my hands to her upper back. I know exactly what I can do to you. You’re just not the one I want.

Anna seemed perturbed by my refusal to ravish her. She turned around and started rubbing her ass into my lap. I took a step back, but she followed me. Eventually, I ran into a speaker. Anna shot me a victorious smile as she trapped me against it with her voluptuous body. Unless I was going to push her away, I was stuck with her grinding against me.

Knowing I needed to take control of the situation, I spun her around and pulled her to me. If we were facing each other, I could at least keep some space between us. I ran my hand over her hip, urging her to straddle my leg. She did, and I moved against her in time to the music. I looked down on her, staring intensely into her eyes, and she held my gaze like she was captivated by me. Her mouth dropped open, and she adjusted her shoulders so more of her chest was exposed to me. Knowing I needed to give her something, I teasingly ran my hand up her side, my thumb brushing the edge of her breast. She closed her eyes and melted against me.