Page 44 of Overexposed

“Fantastic,” Ollie said, dropping a kiss behind my ear before he slid off the trunk. “Let’s go.”

“Who invited you?” Gem asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Me,” Ollie told him without an ounce of shame. “Besides, I’m a little drunk and you drove.”

A groan escaped Gem at the reminder. “I can get you an Uber or something.”

“Nah,” Ollie said with a smirk of his own as he held a hand out to me. “Our girl here will be much happier with the backup.”

“For him or for me?” I couldn’t resist asking because Gem had narrowed his gaze at his friend like he was ready to kick Ollie to the curb. I kind of hoped he didn’t though—Ollie was fun and hehadgiven me this tip.

Even if the tip was to “casually” arrange us meeting again. He was here and Gem was here. I had good shots and a new camera.

Ollie grinned slowly. “You’re going to have to take me with you to find out. You did say yes already, right, Snow?”

The man was incorrigible. “I did.”

“See? It’s settled.”

“Dude,” Gem muttered.

“Hey, you didn’t even want to come,” Ollie said. “You’re only seeing her cause I’m here.”

The muttered comments were probably not meant for me, but they were hardly quiet about it. I nudged Gem back farther before I slid off the trunk. I tilted my head to check the gate but it was all quiet at the moment. Blowing out a breath, I popped the trunk and stored the camera in a proper safe.

If my asshat ex decided to break into the car again, he’d have a much harder time taking my shit.

“That’s intense,” Gem said from just over my shoulder.

“Better safe than sorry,” I answered. After I had everything in its place, I closed the safe door and spun the dial. “That’s my livelihood right there.”

I didn’t have another NDA that I could sell my signature on to fix it if the fucker robbed me again. Shuttling that thought away for another time, I closed the trunk, then faced them. The weight of all that attention being focused on me turned the night very warm, even with the breezes off the ocean.

“So where are we going?” I didn’t know Malibu as well as Burbank or Hollywood.

“There’s a diner in North Hollywood,” Gem said, opening the driver’s side door for me. “Hop in and I’ll give you directions.”

“Can we put the top down?” Ollie asked as he climbed into the back seat from the passenger side. “This car is definitely sexy as hell, just like her owner.”

It would have been impossible to miss the look that Gem shot Ollie, but I bit back a smile as I locked the seat belt into place.

“Gem, can you hit the latch over there above the window?” I popped the one on my side. Gem tilted his head, then released the latch. “Thank you.”

Keys in the ignition, I pressed the switch to lift and roll back the top. It took it a hot minute, but there was something sosatisfying about it letting it down. I pulled a scrunchie out of the glove box and then pulled my hair back and secured it.

I twisted, bracing one hand against the passenger seat as I watched behind us and backed down the drive. Awareness of both men hummed along my skin. Just before I faced front, I caught Ollie’s slow grin from the corner of my eye and his wink.

Troublemaker.

Still, I was grinning when I headed away. The boys didn’t choose a close-by place for coffee; instead we headed into North Hollywood and a place called the Hungry Fork, where they had all the forks to give. According to Gem, they were good people and never sold out the celebrities who came in. The slogan amused me as I pulled into the lot next to it. It wasn’t the finest place I’d ever been to, but I preferred diners and coffee shops to gourmet meals.

After I put the top up, I shrugged out of the vest. I didn’t need to look like a valet any longer. Freeing my hair, I shook it out and then finger combed it before hanging my purse crosswise over my chest.

As I straightened and faced the boys, I found them both watching me with the same enigmatic looks. “Problem?”

“Nope,” Ollie said, then offered me an arm at the same time Gem did. It was both endearingandamusing. Rather than debate it, I slid my arm through Ollie’s and Gem’s at the same time.

“You two are cute,” I said. “Don’t push it.”

---