DaniFilming was going late and I was exhausted after being kept up most of the night, so I grabbed the last of the Skittles, poured them into the bowl, made sure that Linc had the water he wanted, double-checked the blinds to make sure they were closed, then went to let myself out of the trailer.The door opened right before I touched it, and suddenly Linc and I were chest to chest.My breath came out in a little gasp as he lifted me into his arms and kissed me soundly across the mouth, while simultaneously locking the door behind him. I didn't have time to respond as he walked me back into the small bedroom then tossed me onto the bed. His shirt went flying, then shoes, jeans... gone. And he was standing before me much like he had the night before, naked."Good day?" I breathed, sitting up on my elbows."It just got better." He licked his lips, eying me up and down before crooking his finger.Slowly, I got off the bed and approached him, lifting my hands into the air as he pu
LincolnI woke up with a really bad feeling. It continued throughout the day - Dani's birthday. I couldn't shake it, maybe because for the first time in my life, I was happy. That had to mean something was going to go to hell, right?Filming was short for me that day, which was good since I wanted to get ready for the birthday bonfire on the beach. My car had finally arrived from Malibu, which made me less stressed. I knew she hated my truck, so I was glad that I could finally drive her places where she wouldn't be white-knuckling the door the entire time, thinking we were going to get hit.My cell phone buzzed in my pocket.Dani: You like?Attached was a picture of her in a short black dress; she was turned, showing me the scooped back.I frowned and expanded the picture. Her tattoo seemed so familiar. I'd seen it the night in Depot Bay, it had looked like random shapes and letters. It was in a weird place, right above her ankle and below her calf in the back. Impossible t
Dani"Walk on the beach with me?" Linc held out his hand to me. With a giddy laugh, I grabbed it and followed him down closer to the shore, while everyone behind us was being serenaded by AD2 and Gabe. A few years ago, if someone would have told me that my sister would be married to Jaymeson, and on my eighteenth birthday I'd have some of the most famous celebrities in the world singing around a beach fire in my honor, I would have laughed in their face or thought I was hallucinating.Their voices were drowned out by the roar of the ocean as we made our way to the shore. My bare feet squished against the cold wet sand. Linc didn't say anything as we walked hand in hand for what felt like a mile. Finally, he stopped and turned; his eyes lit up like he knew a secret."Do you want your present?""You walked me a whole mile from the warmth of the fire to give me my present?"He lifted my hands to his lips, kissing both of my wrists before dropping them and reaching one hand into his
LincolnThey wouldn't let me see her. Demetri had been in and out of her bedroom for hours. They even let marshmallow man in, or at least he was able to peek his head through the door while I stared helplessly at the doorknob, willing it to twist, praying she would walk out to me - better yet, run into my arms and let me hold her.Damn it. I was trapped in the living room, driving myself insane with worry. Wes, Gabe, Saylor, and Kiersten left with Alec and Nat, meaning just Demetri, Lyss, and the rest of us remained at Jay's house.I pressed my fingers to my temples while I tried to eavesdrop on the conversation Pris was having with Dani's therapist.It all seemed so wrong.To be talking about her like she'd died, when she was in the other room freaking breathing! She was eighteen! And they were treating her-Like she was broken.It wasn't the way I would treat her.Guilt stabbed me in the chest, even though I knew in theory it wasn't my fault. I'd started a car, and it had s
DaniThree months laterIt was hard. I always hated movies that ended with "And they lived happily ever after," because that was never how the real world worked. Going through hell didn't automatically give you a free pass to happyland. But having Linc by my side? It made it better, easier, because I finally had someone who understood and accepted me."No way!" a girl shrieked next to me. "I think that's Lincoln Greene!"The friend started fanning herself. "Seriously, tell me he isn't the hottest thing you've ever seen?""I heard he's basically engaged to some local girl back in Oregon. Damn, there must be something in the water over there. Did you know AD2 both got married to local girls too?""Well." The girl with dark hair rubbed her hands together. "That's settled. I'm moving to Oregon!"They busted up with laughter until Linc grabbed our coffees and made his way in our direction. Then, absolute silence.He handed me my coffee, brushed a soft kiss across my forehead, an
Zane"Hey, you're famous right?""Nope," I lied then steered my way out of the grocery store line, brown paper bag in hand, my vision blurring already from the extreme concentration it took to walk into a stupid public place by myself.By the time I reached my Range Rover, I was already sweating.My hands shook as I tried to hit unlock on the key fob. I struggled, missing it with my thumb at least three times before my lights blinked and the car opened.I secured the package in the passenger's seat and put on my seatbelt, then drove across town to the beach house.Everyone was asleep, or I would have begged, maybe even bribed someone to come to the store with me. I always made a joke out of it. "Come with me so I don't get sexually harassed."When really.It was fear.It was always fear.The door to the house was unlocked. I turned the knob and walked inside, then softly closed the door behind me, making my way into the large gourmet kitchen so I could put my stash in the p
BOOK TWO: KEEPZaneMy palms slid against the guitar, slick with sweat, I tried to wipe them across my jeans, but it was no use. The noise was deafening. I had to remind myself why I was up there. "Saint! Saint! Saint!" Stomping ensued while I knelt down and made the sign of a cross in the air in front of me. "We want Saint! We want Saint!" With a muffled curse, I stood, then reached into my tight jeans to pull out a smashed marshmallow.I popped it in my mouth and closed my eyes, allowing myself to be transported back to a simpler time, a time when things were easy, when decisions weren't all on me. When life was about making mud pies and carrying around miniature marshmallows in a measuring cup."You don't have to save the world," she whispered. "You know that, right?""Right." I furrowed my brow. "But why is it wrong to try?""Oh, Zane," My grandma leaned down to eye level. "Just because your parents were taken from you, doesn't make it your job to make sure everyone and e
Fallon"Nope!" I held my hands in the air and started walking backwards, maneuvering my way through crowds on the boardwalk. "This is where I draw the line. I'm not a stalker!""But you could be." My friend Maggie nodded her head vigorously. "You just need to fully commit to the idea.""Of going to prison?""Oh, please." She rolled her eyes, gaining on me. If I turned and ran from my best friend and then hid in a trash can would that make me lose best friend status or just mean I was smart? I started to turn on my heel, but she grabbed my elbow and tugged me back toward Main Street. "Do you really think he'd send a blind nineteen-year-old to prison?""I'm not blind!" I yelled. "That's lying!""Your glasses are huge." Maggie's eyes widened as if to show me logistically how huge my glasses really were. "Trust me, just pretend like you can't see, he'll totally buy it.""But I can see.""Without your glasses you're legally blind as a bat," she pointed out, her long blonde ponytai