Steal (Seaside Pictures #3)

“What’s wrong?” I jumped to my feet and nearly collided with the coffee table when he gripped my forearms and paled just a bit. “Will?”

“Maybe it’s because I love you, that this though never entered my mind, that it never even was a possibility but—” His throat bobbed, as if he was trying to think of how to say something. “We’ve done nothing but have wild crazy, unprotected teenage sex for the past thirty-six hours.”

I shrugged. “So?”

“So…” His eyes dripped with concern.

“Oh.” I looked down, shame making me feel more exposed and naked than I’d ever felt in my entire life. Because it was Will. “I haven’t… been… I mean I’ve been tested, I’m clean if that’s what you’re getting at. In rehab, they test you for those sorts of—”

His mouth slammed against mine, sending me against the wall as his body braced me there, hands on either side of my head. “I’m only going to say this once, so listen.”

I gulped.

“I wasn’t asking if you were clean, Ang. I was trying to get at the fact that if you aren’t on some sort of birth control, you could get pregnant. Do you really think I’m that insensitive that I’d accuse you or even think—” He cursed, “I’m a dick, I guess I did say all of those things about the STD and drug tests, I’m sorry I—“

It was my turn to maul him.

To launch myself in his arms and kiss him like I was dying.

When I broke free he smirked. “What was that for?”

“Trust,” I said. “It was for your trust.”

His eyebrows shot up.

I silenced him with another kiss then slowly slid down his body until I was achingly aware how ready he was for another round. “And I’m on the pill… it’s the only pill I take these days except ibuprofen… and even though I can’t sleep some nights I still refuse to take anything that could make me feel… loopy.” I shrugged. “But thank you… for caring. For being… responsible.”

He groaned.

I laughed.

And then he was kissing me again, and I forgot all about the awkwardness, the shame, I even forgot about the fact that the last time I’d talked about pregnancy with anyone I’d been shut out.

Abandoned.

Left alone.

Bleeding.

Battered.

Broken.

But we’d kept it in the past.

Where it deserved to be.





THINGS WERE GOING too good.

And when things went good.

I panicked.

As an agent, it usually meant that you were minutes from a phone call about a publicity stunt gone wrong, or an actor taking a bender, or one of your musicians trashing a hotel room.

Ticket sales being down.

Labels dropping musicians.

Every single time I had this feeling.

Something happened.

It was the same feeling that woke me up that night and made me go search for Angelica. The place in my bed, the space she belonged in was empty. And I’d missed her even as dread washed over me.

The same dread that followed well into the night when she was in my arms, when we rode together to set.

When we shot the cameo scene with the rest of the band.

And had to keep redoing it because Trevor couldn’t keep a straight face half the time, and Andrew kept snorting like he was too big of a deal to do anything.

Besides that, fans had caught wind of what was happening, and we had groupies lining the outside of the set. We had to call in extra security.

And things only got worse as the day progressed.

We shot two more scenes.

Ang watched from the sidelines, flanked once again by Demetri and Alec. I’d never been so thankful for two rock stars in my entire life as I was of those guys.

And I wanted to make sure they knew it.

By way of making sure that every single deal from here on out they inked got them paid more than what was godly or acceptable, I’d even take out my percentage completely.

Not that they needed it, but it was all I had in my power to give.

Besides, Demetri had dreams of an AD2 theme park.

I laughed at the thought.

“What the hell’s so funny?” Andrew snapped at me.

“Your face,” Trevor said under his breath.

Yeah, the longer we spent together the more we reverted to our teens, and as the guys spoke of our memories together, one thing became glaringly clear.

It was always the group.

But Andrew and I had always been the glue.

We finished the second scene just as another crowd surged in to watch from a few hundred feet away.

“Security isn’t going to be able to handle this much longer.” Jay said walking up to us. “Who the hell leaked our location?”

I turned to Andrew.

Jay’s eyes narrowed in. “Give me a bloody break. I’m trying to make a film!”

“I can’t help that location services are turned on.” Andrew shrugged and tucked his phone back in his pocket. An angry lion tattoo peaked out from under the torn sleeve of his white t-shirt. The guy dressed like he was either ready to go join a rock band or just killed them all and stole their tour bus full of clothes.

I groaned into my hands.

“Quite the photo op.” Andrew put on a pair of dark Ray-Bans. “AD2, Jamie Jaymeson, Zane Andrews, and Adrenaline all in the same space. I’d say I did all of your Instagram followers a favor, especially Will, since he doesn’t have any social media…”

“I like my privacy,” I snapped.

“Clearly. Since it’s almost impossible to get ahold of you.” Andrew seethed.

What?

“He owns his own agency. Trust me, all you have to do is lazily tell Siri what number to call.” Jay rolled his eyes. “You done with this bullshit? Because we need one more run through and then you can go eat small children and join a vampire cult.”

Trevor snorted while Ty covered his mouth with his hand.

Andrew glared over at Jay, smart enough not to mouth off to the A-lister who held many celebrities’ careers by the balls.

“Yeah, sure.” Andrew finally said forcing a fake smile that made me want to punch his teeth out.

The scene slated.

Ang winked over at me while we all did our little impromptu chat about music, Ty tapped his drumsticks against the table, we laughed, waved at the main characters, did a few head nods as they walked by.

And then Jay cut.

“Thank God.” I stood.

“Well that was fun.” Trevor shoved his drumsticks into the back of his jeans and grabbed his cell. “Now I have a wife whose birthday I just missed for this shit, so if you’ll excuse me, I’m waiting for naked pictures.”

“Wait, she sends you naked pictures on her birthday?” Ty asked, “How does that even make sense? It’s not your birthday.”

Trevor smirked, “So much for you to learn my man, you see she sends me pictures naked, and then I come up with creative things to do to her body depending on what she’s doing in the pictures. Think of it like… a plan of attack. And trust me, when it’s over with, she’s having the best birthday of her life.”

Ty seemed to think about this. “That’s solid, man.”

“Once a ladies’ man,” I said under my breath.

“Like you can even talk!” Ty shoved me a bit. “Before Angelica Greene all I did was find you kissing groupies, groping groupies, hitting on groupies — buying drinks for groupies—”