Steal(Seaside Pictures Book 3)(61)

“But Will has no lines…” I pointed out. “Again.”

“I know.” His smile was back. “So do what you do best when I put a camera on you guys… talk it out.” He gulped. “Talk everything out.”

“Everything,” Will repeated.

“Everything,” I echoed.

“Everything.” Jay nodded. “If we have to cut out some minor details that don’t match with the story, I will… or just stare at her, you’re good at that too, Will.”

He gave him the finger.

Again, shirtless.

“This a new thing for you on screen?” I teased my knuckles grazing his stomach.

“Apparently.” Will grit his teeth. “I’m freezing my ass off, and Andrew keeps watching us like he’s going to pounce any second,” He shook his head, inhaled slowly. “I want to kill him. I do.”

“Stay out of jail, Will. He’s not worth it.” I exhaled a shaky breath. “And regardless of what happened in the past, I still made the choice… never forget that I’m not blameless in this. Yes, he led me down a path, but I sure as hell didn’t have to follow.”

Something flickered in Will’s eyes that looked like guilt. He shuddered and nodded. “I know.”

He gripped my hand and moved me into position. It was a scene that was supposed to film toward the end, it needed to match the beginning where the protagonist finally gave up and owned who she was, where she finally gave up and let herself love for her, not because she wanted what someone else had.

It would be painful.

I tugged at my jean shorts and willed my off the shoulder black tank to stop shrinking. Already I felt naked, no bra, just the shirt hanging off of me. And my shorts with no sandals.

Will was in ripped jeans, slung so low on his hips I had trouble focusing on anything but the way his perfect V dipped into exactly where my body wanted to be.

“Keep doing that and I’m turning this into an improv sex scene.” Will grumbled, then cursed when I paused and gave him a “well I’m up for it if you are”, look.

“Quiet on set!”

I looked over my shoulder. Alec and Demetri shielded me from peering eyes, right along with their wives, my brother, Zane, the girlfriends.

And I smiled.

And smiled even brighter when it was Alec and Demetri that smiled right back, like… they were proud of me.

Like I deserved their praise in the first place.

And for the first time in a long time, I kind of felt like I did.

Will pulled me in for a hug, brushed a kiss down my jaw, and whispered, “You’re beautiful when you smile.”

“I’m beautiful because you make me feel beautiful.” I said back softly. Weeks ago I would have said, I know, and walked off. It was a deflection, another way to keep my armor in place, but today, today I took the compliment because I felt like maybe it was true.

“Scene one seventy-five, take one.”

“Action!” Jay called.

My lines were simple. I apologized, we talked about the sunset, Will sat there, done.

But as the sun truly did begin to set, something felt so religious about the way the colors kissed the waves, I didn’t want to take my eyes off of it.

And when Will and I stood hand in hand staring at it, the holy scene was almost more than my small human body could handle, I imagined he felt it too, his breath hitched.

It was like we were facing a new start.

“Before the sun sets…” Will spoke first. “Before a new day begins…”

“Before all of that.” I said back as wind whipped at my back.

“The past… it stays there.”

We were silent and then he spoke again.

“I won’t ever be sorry you got pregnant Ang.” And there it was, the bomb being swiftly dropped for all the world to see, for everyone to hear. “ I’m sorry you lost the baby. And what’s more, I’m sorry that the situation wasn’t one born out of love. But hate.”

Stunned, I fought for air, for breath. Were we doing this? Was I doing this? “He didn’t care.”

“Does he matter?”

Tears streamed down my face, he caught them with his lips and kissed my mouth.

“He never did.” I rasped.

“Before the sun sets,” Will said again, “we should let the waves wash it away, all of it.”

“Just like that?” I couldn’t control the emotion wrecking my voice, making me insane. Was he really making it that simple?

“Yeah.” Will grinned, offering me his hand. “Just like that.”

We walked hand in hand toward the sun, my feet dug into the sand as we finally met the water, still hand in hand.

“What do you think?” Will nodded his head toward the ocean. “We may die trying. Last time we were in here your lips turned blue.”