Anna’s eyes slid over to me. “I couldn’t wait…hopped an earlier flight.”
Kiera had warned me that her older sister, Anna, was pretty, but I had to admit, her looks took me by surprise. She was taller than Kiera, curvier, and definitely flashier. She had on a tight red dress that left nothing to the imagination, and her plump lips were painted in the exact same electric shade as her outfit. Her eyes were an emerald green, and were highlighted by thick eyelashes lengthened by meticulously applied mascara. Anna’s hair was darker than Kiera’s, straighter and shinier. She’d pulled some of it up into a clip, and there were bright red strands peeking through the pieces falling around her shoulders. This was a person who wanted the world to notice her. I’d say she probably needed the world’s attention. Behind the primping and preening, behind the makeup, manicured nails, salon-perfect hair, and top-notch clothes, was a person who was actually very insecure about herself. I could understand that.
With fondness on her face, Kiera examined her sister. Then she picked up a bright red strand of hair. “This is new. I like it.”
Anna’s eyes were still taking me in. She wasn’t even trying to camouflage her interest. I had a feeling she was a lot more forward than Kiera. That went along with the attention-seeking. “I dated a hairdresser,” she answered. Switching her gaze to Kiera, she playfully added, “For like, an hour.”
Griffin groaned, and I watched as he bit his knuckle like he was in pain. I almost laughed at his expression. If he could pick and choose female parts and slap them onto one person, that person would look like Anna. She was the stuff his pornographic dreams were made of. And she hadn’t even noticed him yet. Poor guy.
I couldn’t help but watch Kiera as she took in her sister. There was an emotion there that I couldn’t quite read. Kiera loved her, I was certain, but she was…sad, or self-conscious…like she was comparing herself to Anna, and in her head, she was losing. But that was ridiculous. Yes, Anna was gorgeous, but with her it was…forced. Manufactured. Kiera didn’t have to try that hard. She effortlessly radiated beauty. She didn’t have to be bended, twisted, and arranged into a masterpiece. She was already a work of art.
Finally, Kiera inhaled a deep breath. “Guys, this is my sister—”
Interrupting Kiera, Anna held her hand out to me. “Anna,” she finished, her smile warm and inviting.
“Kellan.”
I was shaking her hand when Griffin stood up and yanked it away from me. Smooth. “Griffin…hey.” He had such a way with words, it was almost magical. Anna giggled though, as she said hello.
I watched Kiera while Anna introduced herself to the guys. Kiera seemed a little uncomfortable that Anna didn’t need her help. Maybe she was wishing that she could be that bold. She could be, if she really wanted to. The only thing holding her back was her.
Griffin, determined to impress Anna into his bed, grabbed a chair nearby. That chair unfortunately had someone sitting on it, but Griffin didn’t care much about that. With a “Get off, fucker,” he yanked the seat away and set it beside himself. While the ousted customer flipped him the bird and stormed off to go complain to Sam, who I’m sure wouldn’t do anything about it, Griffin patted the cushion and beckoned his newfound love to join him.
Anna smiled, said, “Thank you,” then grabbed the chair and hefted it over to my end of the table. Matt and Evan laughed at her maneuver. Griffin scowled. Surprisingly, Kiera did too. Interesting. Was she jealous of Anna and me? Even though I’d promised her I wouldn’t do anything with Anna? She sure looked that way when Anna sat down.
Testing this theory, I gave Anna a friendly grin when she sat so close to me our sides touched. I could almost see the smoke coming out of Kiera’s ears as she watched us. Very interesting.
“Well, I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll bring you a drink, Anna.”
Anna’s eyes never left mine as she answered. “Okay.” As an afterthought, she added, “Oh, some guy named Sam put my jacket and bags in the back room.”
Kiera sighed, like she couldn’t believe what Anna could get men to do for her. I wanted to tell Kiera that was the power of pussy, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate that comment, so I kept quiet. “Okay, I’ll call Denny. He can give you a ride home.”
Anna finally looked back at Kiera. “I think I can manage.” I knew she meant me, and my grin widened. Anna was making this so damn easy. All I had to do was smile, let her do her thing, and watch Kiera go green with envy. I knew I probably shouldn’t be playing this game, but making Kiera jealous felt a hell of a lot better than wallowing in sadness over what I couldn’t ever have with her. And besides, this was what Kiera wanted. She had to know there would be a price to pay for letting me go.