When we got to the second floor, Kellan led us to a large living room. The way it was set up, it reminded me of a dorm: the main room was the communal gathering area, the door to my left was a free-for-all bathroom, and the five doors along the perimeter of the curved wall were clearly bedrooms. A slider to the second-floor deck was straight in front of us. Evan and Matt stepped through it as Kellan and I dropped our bags to the floor.

The blond guitarist was laughing and juggling a water balloon in his hand as he said something to Evan that sounded like, "Nice toss." Evan shrugged, raising his tattoo-covered arms in an adorable display of modesty.

Anna brightened at seeing our boys and looked behind them for Griffin; he usually wasn't too far from his cousin. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was pretty sure Griffin was waist deep in half-naked babes. Sneaking a quick peek around the space, a thrill of delight went through me that no one but D-Bags appeared to be on this floor. The revelers must have been keeping the party downstairs and outside. That was fine by me. Maybe Kellan and I would be able to have that privacy after all.

When Matt and Evan noticed us, their playful demeanors turned warm and welcoming. Matt gave me a brief embrace, then Evan scooped me up into a giant bear hug; my feet left the ground. After Anna greeted them, she asked Matt, "Where's Griffin?" A small pout graced her perfect lips as she rubbed her growing belly.

Matt glanced at Evan, then Kellan. I heard the question in his pale, blue eyes as he sought confirmation from his band mates: Do we tell her? It irritated me that there was a moment of "guy code" camaraderie going on, but I decided not to be mad about it. The band had been together a long time. They'd been through a lot of hard times together, I was sure. They were family, and family stuck by each other . . . even if one sibling was a jackass.

Finally seeing the answer he needed, Matt focused his attention on Anna. Indicating the deck behind him with his thumb, he told her, "He's by the pool."

Evan smiled and added, "Look for the annoyed one with sour milk dripping down his face."

Matt snorted and held up his hand to Evan. "Damn fine shot, man." The two boys high-fived and I glanced at the remaining balloon in Matt's hand. It was bright pink, and now that I was paying more attention, I could see that there was an opaque liquid inside it, not clear. Definitely not water, then. Milk? And not just any milk. Now that I was close enough, I could smell the balloon . . . and it did not smell good.

A milk stink bomb? Ew. Disgusting. Good thing Matt and Evan's victims were standing beside a pool. Even though it was wrong of me, I sort of hoped they'd nailed tiny-triangle-top girl who'd openly flirted with Kellan.

Anna's hand clenched over her belly as she realized just where her man was-partying with scantily clad women instead of helping her cart her bags upstairs. She looked infuriated for a moment, then a pleasant smile passed over her features. Hand outstretched, she turned to Matt. "Would you mind if I borrowed that?"

Laughing, Matt handed the milk balloon to her. "Be my guest."

Still sweetly smiling, Anna stalked out to the deck. Matt and Evan waited five seconds, then hurried after her. Kellan shook his head and looked down at me. "Want to see our room, or watch Griffin be assaulted?"

I bit my lip. "Wow, that's actually a really hard choice."

Kellan chuckled and grabbed my hand. Leading me to the first door along the wall, he murmured, "Well, I've had enough of Griffin lately and not nearly enough of you."

He opened the door wide and I gasped as I stepped inside. It was more like a studio apartment than a guest bedroom; it was about three times the size of our room back in Seattle. The walls were painted a surprisingly warm shade of gray, with furniture in a deep, contrasting dark cherry. The bedspread was black with intricate silver designs. The sheets and pillows were crisp white, with designs that matched the comforter, but in black. Silver and black lamps adorned the nightstands, and gray lounge chairs created a quiet space in the corner, perfect for reading or writing. A giant flat-screen TV was fixed to the wall opposite the bed.

All in all, it was a very manly room, but it did have some feminine touches. A crystal chandelier was hanging in the middle of the room. Deep purple throw pillows were artfully arranged on the bed, and a plush purple rug was lying at the foot of it. Tall pillar candles were positioned in clumps of three throughout the room, and a vase overflowing with white lilies highlighted an ornate lowboy dresser.

The room was stunning, but that wasn't what made me gasp. Kellan had taken bright red rose petals and scattered them over the floor and on top of the bed. The red seemed even deeper in color against the black bedspread. Over the top of the red petals, Kellan had carefully placed a layer of white petals. Those petals formed a heart, and on the inside of the heart was a box. A small, velvet box. My heart was surging as I stared at it.

Closing the door behind us, Kellan murmured in my ear, "Do you like it?"

I couldn't answer him. I could only nod as I laser-focused on the gift waiting for me. Kellan pulled me forward, and the smell of fresh flowers tickled my nose in a wonderful way. I slipped off my sandals as we walked so I could feel the silky petals under my toes. When we got to the edge of the bed, Kellan stopped and stared at the box with me. After another moment, he pulled it off of the bed, careful to not disrupt the artful white heart. My eyes followed his fingers. Without a word, Kellan dropped to a knee. Even though he'd done this before, even though we were already married in our hearts, the sight of him on bended knee made my eyes water.

Smiling up at me, he whispered, "Kiera Michelle Allen, will you be my wife?"

The tears in my eyes dropped to my cheeks as he opened the box. I was already nodding as I stared at the diamonds sparkling in the sunlight streaming through the window. The center diamond was a large round beauty that gleamed with life as it refracted the light. A "halo" of smaller diamonds circled it, amplifying its glow, while a similar strand of diamonds lined either side of the silver band. It was quite easily the most incredible ring I'd ever seen.

Kellan was calm and relaxed as he pulled the ring out of the box. My fingers were shaking as he slipped the new ring on my left hand, above the promise ring that I'd been wearing as a wedding ring. The two rings complemented each other perfectly, and I couldn't stop staring at them. Kellan was chuckling as he stood back up.

When I felt more composed, I looked up at him and said the first thing that popped into my head. "You didn't need to do that. My old ring was fine." I cringed at telling him that right out of the gate, but this ring looked pricey, and he didn't need to spend that kind of money on me. He didn't need to win me over-I was already won.

Kellan smiled and looped his arms around my waist. "Yes, I did."

I shook my head. "Don't get me wrong, this is . . . unbelievable . . . but I was content with the old band. You didn't have to do this."

Kellan's smile didn't change. "Yes, I did."

"Kellan-"

He cut me off with his lips on mine. "Yes, I did, Kiera," he murmured against my skin.

My eyes fluttered closed, and I dropped my pointless objection. It was his money, who was I to tell him how to spend it? As his arms tightened around my waist, my fingers tangled through his hair. Our kiss deepened as the emotion of the moment mixed with the ache of our weeks' long separation. It had been entirely too long since I'd been in his arms, and even though this house was swarming with people, I suddenly didn't want to be wearing anything but the new, shiny ring he'd just given to me.

Silently begging him, I pulled at his shirt. He understood and stripped it off immediately. I ran my fingers over his chest, delighting in the warm, smooth skin, the etched lines and valleys. Leaning down, I placed a soft kiss over my name drawn above his heart. Kellan sighed and held my head to his chest.

I peeked up at him, and his eyes were closed. His expression was peaceful, happy. Wanting to see his eyes sizzle, I ducked down and ran my tongue around his nipple. Then I closed my mouth over it and gently dragged my teeth across the sensitive skin. I was sure his chest wasn't as sensitive as mine, but I'd read somewhere that guys enjoyed a little stimulation there. Kellan's eyes flashed open, and his smooth face morphed into a devilish, one-sided grin.

The pads of his fingers trailed down my back, barely brushing against me on their journey down my spine; waves of heat radiated from each point of contact. When he got to the bottom of my shirt, he slipped his fingers under the hem and deftly pulled it over my body. His eyes locked onto my bra.

I was traditionally a very practical dresser, especially in the undergarment department. Your basic white or cream, full-coverage bras appealed to me the most. But my sister had started interjecting herself into my wardrobe choices. Telling me that no one married to a rock star could wear a bra whose slogan was Finally a Woman, she'd taken me lingerie shopping. I'd ignored her suggestions at first, since the scraps of material she'd tried to force upon me barely constituted a bra, but then she'd started showing me pretty, elegant pieces that I actually liked. The one I was wearing now was a lacy, light pink, push-up bra. I didn't have a whole lot of assets to begin with, but the bra took what I did have and squeezed them together in such a way that it looked like I had a whole lot more. I'd say I was stretching our honesty pact by wearing it, but Kellan already knew my body well. I was merely dressing up the package, or so my sister said. I couldn't wait for him to see the matching underwear.

It took him a solid fifteen seconds to return his gaze to my face. When he did, his eyes were burning with the passion I'd wanted to see earlier. He chewed on his lip a moment, then shook his head. "You didn't have to do that," he playfully told me. "I liked the old one just fine." His amused smile grew as he used my words against me.

Laughing softly, I yanked on the waistband of his shorts, pulling his h*ps closer to mine. "Yes, I did," I muttered, before attaching my lips to his.

He laughed in my mouth, but stopped when I unfastened the button of his shorts. He let out a low rumble when I slipped my hand inside. He was fully ready for me, his body hard against his silky boxers. I wanted to feel that soft skin directly, but Kellan pushed me back onto the bed. Lips parted, his hooded eyes scoured my body as I sat on a sea of petals. Bending over, he grabbed the bottom of my shorts and ripped them off of me. When he caught sight of the aforementioned underwear, he groaned. The light pink was slightly sheer, the straps over my h*ps embarrassingly thin.

Looking up at me with an expression that mixed both desire and irritation, he grumbled, "Are you trying to make this last about five seconds?" I laughed and his impish grin returned. "You're killing me, Kiera."He kissed my stomach. "You're actually killing me."

As his lips wandered down my stomach, I began to believe that he was killing me; the ache pulsing through me was bordering on painful. Dislodging the beautiful, artful floral arrangement, I scooted up the bed so Kellan could lie on top of me. Velveteen petals stuck to my skin as I reached out for him. His eyes softened into an expression filled with love and adoration. "You're so beautiful . . . do you know that?"

I felt my cheeks heat and I averted my eyes. I was . . . cute, sure, but a word like "beautiful" was reserved for my exotic sister. Kellan removed his shoes and shorts and crawled into the bed with me. Lying at my side, he grabbed my chin and turned my head toward him. "Do you know that?" he repeated.

Since I had no words in me, I shook my head. Kellan sighed and ran his fingers through my hair. "Well, I do," he whispered.

His lips returned to mine, soft, but fervent. He moved his h*ps over mine, and I cried out when we pressed together. The thin barrier of my panties between us amplified the sensation. Our kiss grew heated as the fire within us stoked even higher. Breath fast, Kellan ran his lips down to my ear and murmured, "I love you."

He rocked against me again, and I arched my back and closed my eyes. I wanted to tell him that I loved him too, but I was afraid that any noise I made right now would come out in a passionate scream, and a small part of my brain was still cognizant of the many people wandering around this home. Instead, I whimpered and dug my fingers into his shoulders.