Page 18 of (Un)Expected

“Super Hero, or Super Player? Weeks after his latest break-up, Adam Rice caught in late night make-out session on location for his new movie.”

SEVEN

“You had one rule, Adam.One!”

Adam sat on the couch, blankly staring at the phone on the coffee table. His agent, Theo’s, voice rang out across the room, echoing through the whole villa. As he continued his rant, Adam’s hands clenched, and his knee wouldn’t stop bouncing. It was the same position I found him in almost an hour ago, woken up by Theo’s yells. With another shake of his head, Adam muttered, “I know.”

“All you had to do was avoid any publicity about your personal life until we got this Ivy thing under control.”

“Fuck, Theo! I know! This whole thing was supposed to have blown over by now.”

From my seat in the armchair, I chuckled, knowing it was going to be a damn while before that happened. I told Adam not to fuck with a songwriter, but did he listen?Nope. Now, just like her last three boyfriends, he had an Ivy Abrams album dedicated to him, filled with details of their relationship. Not gonna lie, even though they made Adam sound like a dick, those are some damn catchy songs.

“I know, Theo,” Adam snapped, running his hand through hishair again. If he kept it up, he’d be bald before thirty-five. “I told you—I didn’t know anyone got pictures of us. The only people who saw us were some kids. How was I supposed to know their videos would go viral?”

Theo sighed, a sound I was pretty damn familiar with. I could picture his expression as if he was in the room with us, pinching the bridge of his nose. In the four years since becoming Adam’s agent, I’d only seen the gesture a handful of times, saved for the moments when he thought Adam had really fucked up. According to him, Adam paid him way too much money not to listen to his advice.

“Do you think the girl sold the photos?” Theo asked.

“No,” Adam snapped. “Alex wouldn’t do that.”

“You barely know her. You have no idea what she’s capable of. She probably set up the whole thing.”

That got me to my feet. I was used to hearing Theo and Adam’s talks. My best friend had thick skin and knew how to block Theo out, but for him to insinuate that Alex was behind the leak? For some reason, that shit made my blood boil.

“Drop it,” I said, inserting myself into the conversation. The minute he heard my voice, Theo muttered something under his breath, too low for me to hear. I didn’t have a great reputation among Adam’s team. Adam tended to let them dictate every part of his life, not bothering to put up much of a fight. I tended to tell them to fuck all the way off. “If Adam says she wouldn’t do that, then it’s done.”

Adam nodded gratefully before continuing. “Cole’s right. I know Alex didn’t have anything to do with the pictures, but we do need to figure out next steps.”

“That’s what we’re working on now,” Theo said, shuffling around papers in the background. “I’ve got my assistant scouring social media to see if this story is gaining any traction. Until we get a handle on your image, please, for fuck’s sake, lay low. I’m going to head out there in the morning once we know more.”

“Theo, you don’t have to?—”

The line clickedoff.

Adam sat back on the couch, tossing his phone to the side before scrubbing his face with his palms. After a long pause, he finally placed them in his lap, laughing humorlessly. “So…Theo’s coming.”

“Surprised it took him this long,” I scoffed. “You know he hated the idea of you being out here by yourself.”

“Maybe he was right.”

Adam’s face scrunched up with worry. I knew he hated every second of this. It was exhausting, having every date or conversation splashed all over the headlines. He always said it was a small price to pay for getting to live his dream, but I called bullshit. No one should have to worry if the person across the table was using you.

I sat down next to my friend, clapping him on the back. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You went on a date. You’re allowed to do that, no matter what that asshole says.”

Adam shook his head. “I know, man, but it’s not even that part that bothers me. It’s Alex. She doesn’t deserve any of this.” He paused, scrubbing his hand over his face. “Especially after the way we ended things last night.”

A strange twist forms in my gut, one I’ve never had before. Shit, I knew that plant-based protein powder seemed shady as fuck, but Rebecca told me I wouldn’t even notice the difference. Last time I trusted her advice.

Adam continued. “Last night was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Alex, she’s…I don’t even know how to describe her. She’s warm and so damn real. It’s something I didn’t even know I was missing until now.”

I tried to focus on his words, but each one made the pain in my stomach amplify. Damn, I really was a mess. The more Adam talked about their date, the worse it got.It wasn’t because of her, right?I barely knew Alex, and during our two conversations, I’d managed to come off as an ass, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get the feeling Adam was describing. There was something about Alex that drew me in, even though I spent most of my time trying to hide from others.

I swallowed, trying to ignore the lump in my throat. “What happened?”

Adam chuckled, running his hand over his face. “We kissed.”

Fuck.My stomach bottomed out. I tried to push thoughts of Alex out of my mind. She was off-limits now. Guy code—once your buddy hooked up with a girl, she was strictly off-limits unless he gave his blessing. But for me, once a girl had been with Adam, she was off limits forever—not that any of his exes ever showed any interest in me. Once you’d been with a movie star, his loser buddy was a big drop.

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