Wicked Heart (31 page)

I’m almost finished when I hear voices outside the door.

“Angel, stop.”

“No. C’mere, Josh. Jusforasecond.”

“I can’t hug you and open the door at the same time. Just stand there, okay? And for God’s sake, don’t puke. I don’t deal well with puke.”

The door swings open and Josh stumbles in with one arm around Angel. She looks terrible. When they see me and the mess, they both freeze. Angel sways and blinks as Josh turns to me. “What
the hell, Lissa?! Did those asshole teenagers from the second floor break in and trash the joint? Because I’d love an excuse to kick some pimply, emo ass.”

“Josh, hey. Uh . . . no. Would you believe there was an earthquake?”

“No. What really happened?”

“Elissaaaaa!” Before I can answer, Angel lurches toward me and pulls me into a tight hug. “I love you. I had a shitty day yesterday, but seeing you makes it all better.”
God, she smells like a brewery. “Will you marry me instead of Liam? He’s a dick. He makes me look stupid. He’s supposed to be my rock in the stormy sea of life, but he let me
drown.” She squeezes her eyes shut. “Oh, my God. Someone write that down. I’m so freaking poetic when I’m hammered, it blows my mind.”

I glance over at Josh. He holds up his hands, defensive. “You told me to comfort her. She wanted to be comforted by beer.”

“Has she been drinking all night?”

He nods. “I tried to stop her, but we both know she won’t be argued with. Plus, the more she drank, the more attractive she found me. How could I resist?”

“Ohh,” Angel murmurs as she rests her head on my shoulder. “Josh has been lovely, but Lissa . . . you’re so soft. This robe is comfy. Let’s snuggle.”

She leans down and rests her head on my boobs. I hug her and glare daggers at Josh.

He at least has the sense to look regretful. “I’m sorry. She kept flirting with me until I bought her another drink. I’m a weak, selfish man.”

“Soon you’re going to be a dead man. We have rehearsal in two hours. Marco is going to kill both of us if she shows up like this.”

“I know. That’s why I brought her here, so you could help sober her up.”

I pull back and get Angel to look at me. “Hey, sweetie. How’re you doing?”

“Ahmtired. And Josh won’t let me have more beer. He’s mean. But pretty.”

“How about some coffee? And maybe some food to soak up the alcohol?”

I’m about to take her into the kitchen when I remember who’s in there. Oh, God, as if this situation wasn’t bad enough. At least he has the sense to stay hidden.

“Lissa?” Josh is frowning at me. “Why the hell are there men’s clothes on our couch?”

“Um . . .”

Then his eyes go wide, and Angel gasps at the same time. Sure enough, I turn to see Liam standing half naked in the kitchen doorway, looking like a Greek god, except for the dustpan and yellow
rubber gloves.

“Hey, guys,” he says softly, as he looks between us. “Uh . . . we should probably talk.”

Before anyone has time to speak, Angel races to the bathroom and barfs violently into the toilet.

Half an hour and two cups of coffee later, Angel is bleary-eyed, but definitely more sober. Liam and I are fully dressed and have explained our whole story, including our
nightly line runs to counteract his secret dyslexia. So far, Angel and Josh are taking it well, all things considered.

“You’re an asshole, Quinn!” Josh yells as he paces in front of the couch. Okay, I lied when I said he was taking it well. “Not only do you dump Elissa for this bullshit
PRmance years ago, but then, when you knew you were having feelings for her again, you didn’t even think to warn Angel about the approaching shitstorm? How fucking selfish are you?”

Liam shakes his head. “Josh, I understand why you’re pissed—”

“Good. Because your actions have hurt two of the most amazing women I know, and if I wasn’t terrified of physical violence, I’d be kicking your ass all over this apartment
right now!”

When he stops in front of Angel, she gently takes his hand. “Josh, please calm down before Liam squashes you like a bug. Also, you’re too loud. Could you grab me some
painkillers?”

Josh throws Liam a final glare before heading into the bathroom. Angel rubs her temples, and when Josh returns with two Advil and a glass of water, she quickly swallows them down.

“Okay,” she says with a sigh. “So, I guess we need to figure out what to do, right? I’m not going to lie. The thought of breaking the contract gets me all kinds of
excited, but we know that can’t happen. Not right now.”

Josh sits next to her and lays his arm along the back of the sofa. “So what’s the plan, then?”

“Personally,” I say as I grip my coffee cup, “I think the wise choice would be to pretend Angeliam is business as usual until the fuss from the alley pictures dies down. When
the media circus packs up and goes home, we’ll work something out.”

Liam crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t like having to wait, but I agree it’s probably for the best. I need to talk to Anthony about possible exit strategies, but
he’s got his hands full right now. He’s already left six messages for me today. It seems we’ve had over two hundred interview requests since the press conference last night. This
thing isn’t going away easily.”

Josh frowns. “So in the meantime, you and Elissa think you’re going to sneak around behind the scenes and sex each other up without anyone noticing?”

“Sex would be nice,” Liam says with a shrug, “but I’m not counting on it, no. I just know I’ve been away from her for six years and I’m not doing it for
another damn day.”

“And you expect Angel to be okay with that?”

Liam glances over at Angel, who holds up her hands in surrender. “Hey, don’t look at me. As long as you two spare me the horny details, I don’t want to know what happens behind
closed doors. Just promise me you’ll be extra careful. Everyone is going to be watching us like hawks from now on, and I already look like the clueless girlfriend. Even the slightest hint of
another scandal will have the press swarming both of us like flies on roadkill.”

“I promise, we’ll be discreet.” He gives Angela warm smile. “Thanks for understanding.”

Angel stands and gives him a hug. “You’re welcome. At least one of us is getting laid. It’s been so long for me, I’ve almost forgotten what a penis looks like.”

Josh clears his throat. “May I interest you in a high-quality selection of dick pics, delivered straight to your phone? Elissa can attest to the fact that they’re quite
artistic.”

Angel raises her eyebrow at me. “Do I want to know why you’ve seen pictures of Josh’s dick?”

“No,” I say with a laugh. “You really don’t.”

Liam frowns at me. “Do
I
want to know?”

“It was an accident, trust me. Now, maybe you and Josh can go and grab something for us all to eat. We have to head to rehearsal soon and I’d like Angel to get some rest before we
go.”

“Sure.” He gives me a quick kiss. “We’ll be right back. Unless Josh decides to beat me up on the way, in which case . . . well . . . We’ll be right back.”

Josh gives him a disdainful look. “There’s a lot of traffic in New York, Quinn. Wouldn’t it be a shame if Hollywood’s leading meathead got hit by a car?”

Liam laughs, then opens the door. “Okay, tough guy. Clearly I need to buy you a bagel to purge your rage.”

“A bagel
and
a cookie,” Josh corrects. “And a crapload of very black, very strong coffee.”

“You drive a hard bargain. Fine. Get your keys and let’s go.”

Liam heads downstairs, and after Josh grabs his keys off the table, he turns to Angel. “Just so you know, I was joking about the dick pics. Mostly. But I am here for you if you need me. I
know you’re probably hurting about this whole situation, and sometimes it’s best to get over someone by getting under someone else, you know? Rebound sex can be very
cathartic.”

Angel tilts her head, a bemused smirk on her face. “Liam and I were never in a proper relationship, Josh. No rebound necessary.”

“So you say. But Magic Mike and I are available if you happen to change your mind.”

“Magic Mike?” When I snort, she smiles. “That’s . . . sweet, Josh. Thanks.”

“No problem. Anytime.”

When the door closes behind him, I shake my head. “My best friend, ladies and gentlemen.”

“You have great taste in friends,” Angel says, then yawns. “Just look at me.”

She rubs her eyes, and the apartment is engulfed in silence. I know Angel seems to be coping with the situation, but if I were her, I’d have a healthy dose of resentment over the whole
thing.

“So,” I say, as I turn to her. “How do you really feel about me and Liam? Honestly.”

She shrugs and flops back onto the couch. “Honestly? It’s hard to tell. I’m still extremely drunk.”

“Do you want to hit me?”

“No.”

“Not even a little?”

“And ruin my manicure? That’s crazy talk.” She gives me a smile. “More than anything, I’m angry at myself for not seeing it coming. I could tell he was weird around
you; I just didn’t know why. In all our time together, Liam refused to talk about past relationships. The closest he came was one night when were both tanked and jet-lagged, and he muttered a
remark about how he’d done something unforgivable once upon a time and lost the love of his life. I never suspected he’d dumped his one true love so he could pretend to be in love with
me. That’s new information.”

“Are you mad?”

“No. Just disappointed he didn’t tell me that he’s been pining for you all these years. I mean, we’ve been through all this craziness together from the moment we both
signed on to
Rageheart,
and even though he’s endured countless hours of me whining about my issues with my dad and my sister, he never once confided in me about what he was going
through with you, or his dyslexia. It makes me feel like crap, you know? I thought we were closer than that.”

She looks down, and I put my hand over hers and squeeze. “I’m sorry.”

She takes a sip of her drink. “I’ll get over it. At least this stupid charade is coming to an end. The only man I’ve had between my legs in recent years is my waxologist,
Hernando, and he’s gay. I’m jealous Liam’s finally getting some relief.”

“Liam told me that you guys tried to . . .” I look down at my hands. “Make it work once?”

She laughs. “God, it was so bad. Awkward as hell. I mean, Liam’s gorgeous and everything, but he does nothing for me. I love him like a brother. Weird, right?”

“Not really. That’s exactly how I feel about Josh.”

She screws up her face. “Seriously? You’ve never wanted to throw that hot geek down and fuck him?”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Never.”

“Well, that’s just bizarre.”

“Hey, you just told me you have no vaginal impulses toward ‘
People
’s Sexiest Man Alive’ three years running, but you’re surprised I don’t want to do
my best friend?”

“Well, yeah. Liam’s good-looking and all, but Josh is
hot
. I’m considering taking him up on his offer for sex, even if it’s only so I can break my dry
spell.” There’s a mischievous glint in her eye I’ve seen too many times to trust.

“You fake me out so often, I have no clue if you’re joking or not right now.”

She shrugs. “Me neither.”

I give her a quick hug, then pull her up to standing. “Come on. You can sleep in Josh’s room for a while. I’d offer my bed, but . . . well—”

“Your sheets are covered in the evidence of Liam’s luuuuurve?”

I screw up my face. “Angel—”

“The salty seed of his desire?”

“Stop.”

“The sticky-whiteness of his everlasting devotion?”

I clap my hand over her mouth. “Stop talking or I’ll hurt you. Seriously.”

She giggles as I lead her into Josh’s bedroom. It’s not super-tidy, but Josh isn’t a slob. Living with me has rubbed off on his sense of cleanliness.

Angel looks around. “Hmmm. The Josh Cave. Interesting.”

I pull back the quilt and urge her to get in. “I saw him change these sheets yesterday, so you’re pretty safe.” After she settles in, I pull the sheet up to her chin and stroke
her hair away from her face. “Try to get some rest. I’ll let you know when the boys are back with the food.”

As I go to stand, she grabs my hand. “Elissa . . . ?”

“Yeah?”

She looks down at my hand as she strokes it. “I feel like I owe you an apology as well.”

“What for?”

“Ever since we met, I’ve been shoving my magical wedding and hottie fiancée down your throat. I even made you come dress shopping with me, for God’s sake. I’ve
been a total asshole. I hope you don’t hate me.”

I laugh. “Actually, I love you, despite thinking you’d stolen the man of my dreams. You’re just that adorable.”

“Well, yeah. Tell me something I don’t know.” She blinks a few times, then her eyes drift closed. “I just want you to know that I’m glad you and Liam have found
happiness with each other. You’re both amazing people, and you deserve it.”

Before I can tell her she deserves happiness, too, she’s asleep.

Four Days Later

Pier 23 Rehearsal Rooms

New York City

“Angel! Liam! is way! To your left!”

“Over here, guys! Please! Over here!”

“Can we get a few words?! How are you today?”

“Angel, have you really forgiven Liam for making out with another woman? Is the wedding still on?”

A burly team of security guards parts the rabid media throng, which has completely blocked off the entrance to our rehearsal space for the fourth day in a row. Yet again, vans and equipment
trucks are everywhere, and it’s brought traffic in front of our building to a standstill. Add to that the dozens of passionate fans who believe screaming at their idols will save their
relationship, and it’s safe to say our current address is West Bedlam Street, Crazytown.

Before I even have to ask, Josh is on the phone to the local precinct to get the cops on-site. He knows the drill by now. We might have to live with this madness, but we can at least keep it a
little more under control.