Abby and the Cute One (Backstag - Butler, Erin

He’s cute. He’s famous. And he could ruin everything… Every member of Seconds to Juliet has a girlfriend—except for Nathan Strong. Now the band’s manager is leaning hard on “The Cute One” to play the role of the band’s heartthrob. With the band’s sales in decline, it’s up to Nathan to keep the fans’ fantasy alive. The plan is to stage a fake relationship and a fake breakup, and then let the fans fight to be the one to mend Nathan’s broken heart. Just one problem. There’s another girl in the picture–one Nathan can’t stay away from. In private, Nathan’s stealing kisses with the band’s new opening act, Abby Curtis. If they’re caught, no one wins. Abby will be

fired, and the band might not recover the success they need to survive. But even with the pressure mounting, Nathan and Abby can’t stop themselves from stealing one more touch, one more kiss. And it’s only a matter of time before it all falls apart.

Table of Contents Preface Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author

Don’t miss the rest of the Backstage Pass series Aimee and the Heartthrob Mia and the Bad Boy Daisy and the Front Man Anya and the Shy Guy How We Lived Last Wish Discover more of Entangled Teen Crush’s books… Ten Things Sloane Hates About Tru Blackmail Boyfriend Finding Perfect Center Ice

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Copyright © 2015 by Erin Butler. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher. Entangled Publishing, LLC 2614 South Timberline Road Suite 109

Fort Collins, CO 80525 Visit our website at www.entangledpublishing.com. Crush is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC. Edited by Stephen Morgan Cover design by Jessica Cantor Cover art from iStock ISBN 978-1-63375-387-7 Manufactured in the United States of America First Edition November 2015

For my niece, Abby

Preface NATHAN STRONG Age: 16 Hair: Brown Eyes: Hazel Hometown: A little town in PA no one has ever heard of

Favorite song on debut album: The One Turn ons: Drive and passion His dream date: A night under the stars. Quote to live by: “Seize the moment.”

Chapter One NATHAN f Nathan Strong were any other sixteen-year-old guy, helping the gorgeous actress he’d just finished dinner with into her car would’ve been the perfect ending to a once-in-a-lifetime

I

evening. Especially since he was sure she just slipped him her number. Instead, he found it exhausting. He didn’t even know how to take her slipping him her number. Or the way she’d fawned over him all dinner. The whole thing was a publicity stunt set up by LJ. And like a fool, Nathan had agreed to play along. Even though he didn’t feel a thing for this girl. Nathan flashed his toothy grin the paparazzi seemed to love and then turned, stuffing the scrap of paper she’d gifted him into his pocket. Thrust into the

spotlight as S2J’s most eligible bachelor was, hands down, the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. Winning Rockstars: Live! was a piece of cake next to dating celebrities and always having the right thing to say. He could’ve won that show five times over with how much his new responsibilities weighed him down. Beau, his bodyguard, greeted him with a smile. “How did the date go with Miranda?” Nathan shrugged. “Fine. Good. She was nice.” His bodyguard chuckled. “Her name

was Marissa. You might’ve heard of her. She’s kind of the next big thing.” Did he not even know her name? He tended to tune out on these image dates LJ set him up on, but this was an all-time low. It was true they’d all started to blend together. Miranda. Marissa. Melissa. Practiced. Rehearsed. They were only interested in one thing: what could Nathan do for them and their careers? Then again, that was also why LJ kept setting him up on the dates. They helped S2J by solidifying Nathan as the

irresistible cute one. The baby of the group who was finally looking to find a girl of his own. Where was Miles “the heartthrob” Carlisle when you needed him? Most likely talking to Aimee on the cell phone that had somehow permanently attached itself to his face. Nathan didn’t know cell phones could do that, but Miles was living, daily proof. As were Ryder and Trevin, who suffered from the same condition. Nathan finally looked at Beau—what had he just said about Melissa?

Something about her being a big thing? “And you know she’s the next big thing because…?” He shrugged. “TV Guide. I have a lot of downtime.” Downtime. The word became more foreign and harder to recall every day, like the perfect lyric, just out of reach. If Nathan wasn’t rehearsing with Seconds to Juliet, he was writing with the guys, sleeping, or dating. He didn’t mean to complain. Not really. He loved singing and the band and the fans, but he didn’t sign up for all

the extra-curricular stuff no one had mentioned when he was a kid dancing on his porch. He kicked a pebble on the sidewalk and watched it fly down the street. If only it were that easy to get rid of the constant pressure. Meeting Beau’s gaze, he said, “I feel like a walk tonight. Meet you back at the hotel?” Before Nathan could take a step, the bodyguard was in front of him, wearing his serious duty face. “You know I can’t let you do that, Nathan. There are people all over this street. You wouldn’t last

thirty seconds before being recognized.” It was a nice try. One Nathan knew he wouldn’t get away with, but on the off chance Beau took pity on him, he had to go for it. “I know. I just need to clear my head. How about a walk down by the river before we head back? It’s been a rough night.” “Right. Real rough. It must be terrible to sit across from a pretty girl all night at a fancy restaurant.” Nathan shook his head. “You have no idea.” Give him McDonald’s and The Tudors any night over this crap.

Beau sighed and eyed the trail ramp just to the left of the posh restaurant. A concrete walkway sloped down to a river overlook. It was deserted. There were streetlights. Nathan couldn’t see any reason Beau would say no. Still, the bodyguard hesitated. Nathan’s heart contracted. He never asked for much. He’d taken on his new bachelor status with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, but right now, he really wanted to be alone. “Please. I just need five minutes. I’ll owe you one.” Finally, Beau nodded and Nathan

clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you.” It was the most sincere thing he’d said all day. As Nathan made his way down the ramp, footsteps echoed behind him. He stopped and looked back, only to find Beau following at a respectable distance. Well, any other day Nathan would’ve thought it respectable, but apparently not today. With more assholishness than intended, he asked, “Can I be alone?” All bodyguard now, Beau nodded once. He took his warrior stance next to

the ramp, legs spread shoulder-width apart and arms crossed. If Nathan didn’t know better, he’d be scared of him. Screaming mobs of teenage girls weren’t even the tiniest bit afraid, though. Nathan was convinced they weren’t scared of anything. At least anything that came between them and any of the five S2J guys. Finally by himself, Nathan strolled down the ramp; skyscraper lights, bright whites, greens, and yellows, twinkled off the rippling water. Every now and then a blinking red light mirrored in the

river. Nathan followed the city skyline up to the tallest building. An even taller antenna poked into the clouds blinking the warning red every few seconds. Here by the water, he could pretend he wasn’t the one LJ counted on to keep the band at the top of the charts and the focus of the public’s attention. Sure, they were still selling out stadiums, but public interest had taken a nosedive. LJ’s explanation? Four out of the five of them now had girlfriends. Nathan was the only single guy left, which put all of the pressure on him.

LJ’s brand new scheme put Nathan front and center in the spotlight. The media played him up as Seconds to Juliet’s newest and cutest eligible bachelor. All he had to do was act available but not be available. He needed to be the dream for the hundreds of thousands of teen girls who wanted S2J. LJ had called it. He said the fans would be tripping over themselves to be the one to steal Nathan’s heart. He was right. The craziness surrounding him only intensified every time there was a

picture of him in some magazine holding open a door for his date or handing some random girl flowers at one of their shows. Nathan didn’t mind helping out. Really. It was just the stress of it all. And the fact that it was all fake. He wanted someone he had real feelings for. Real passion. Someone whose every look didn’t remind him that it was all a game. What else was he supposed to do, though? The image dates were obviously working, and the possibility of Nathan

finding a real relationship was slim. The only people he spent enough time around to even have the possibility of falling for them were the roadies and stylists who worked for S2J and any opening acts. After the drama with Miles and Paige, LJ had put a hard no on any of the band dating any of the other “talent.” If Nathan wanted romance, he’d have to accept the fake kind that came from fake dates. Fake. Fake. Fake. “I’m not a fairy tale girl, no one’s going to save me.” Nathan stopped at the voice, his neck

craning to find the source. A little ways down the trail, he spotted a shadowy figure singing into her fists. A loud groan interrupted the song. The girl shook out her hands and started again. “I’m not a fairy tale girl, no one’s going to save me.” Curious, Nathan walked toward the voice. It was haunting yet beautiful. Such a rich tone. He was so caught up in it he didn’t notice the empty soda can a step away until he accidentally kicked it. In the peaceful night, the rattling of the aluminum against cement sounded like a

jackhammer. The singing stopped, and Nathan cursed himself for ruining it. He could’ve listened to her voice all night. Surrounded by a pool of light from the overhead trail lights, Nathan reached for the can. When he looked up, the girl’s eyes widened. So she recognized him, but weirder still, she seemed familiar, too. Before he could think too much into it, she spoke. “Holy crap.” She froze as if any sudden movement would make him skitter away. Nathan

couldn’t help but laugh at the mixed emotions on her face. Scared, confused, excited, awed. Her cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help myself.” He threw the can into the recycling bin, walked toward her, and held out his hand. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” He didn’t bother giving his name —she obviously already knew. The girl bit her lip and eyed his outstretched hand. She was wearing a cute beach dress just revealing enough to make his stare linger in some areas. Her collarbone flirted with the off-shoulder

straps that also showed off a long neck partially hidden by flowing blond hair. When she finally did smile at Nathan, it cut right through him. The girl took his hand and shook it once. When she stepped back, she eyed him and toyed with her lip. “I’m sorry, I just…can’t believe you’re here right now. How crazy.” Crazy? Crazy was the way his pulse thumped at his wrists. Talk about instant attraction. This girl was beyond beautiful—she was gorgeous. Much prettier than the dolled-up mannequin

he’d walked to the car only minutes ago. “What are you doing here?” she stammered. Nathan loved those kinds of questions. Wasn’t it obvious? He walked in a circle and then lifted his foot toward her, wiggling it around for good measure. “Walking.” She smiled, which Nathan counted on, but she also did something else no one had done to him in a long time: she rolled her eyes. It was…awesome. The realness of it all made him smile.

She curled her long blond hair behind her ears. “Obviously you’re walking, but what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be surrounded by an entourage or something?” She peered over his shoulder. “Are the rest of the guys with you?” The hopeful look on her face socked him in the gut. Would she have preferred another member of S2J? “I’m afraid it’s just me tonight. Sorry to disappoint.” “No, I mean…” She blushed. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just usually when you’re around, so are they. I mean, I

really wouldn’t know, but in pictures, and when you’re singing…” Nathan couldn’t argue with that logic. He’d spent more time with Seconds to Juliet than his own family over the past two years. Hell, even the hair and makeup staff knew more about him now than his own sister did. “Was that you singing? I heard the voice of an angel earlier.” He pretended to look around her back. “But I don’t see any wings.” Nathan’s cheeks flamed hotter than the Arizona desert. Had he really just said

that? He’d tried to channel his inner heartthrob, but it just didn’t sound right on him. Miles sounded cool, smooth even. Nathan, on the other hand, sounded like a lonely sixteen-year-old who watched too many romantic comedies. She smiled, and before Nathan could convince himself it was just to humor him, the way the streetlight lit up her face struck a chord with him again. “Do I know you?” he asked. “You seem familiar.” “Trust me, I’d remember if we met before. I’m a huge Seconds to Juliet fan.

I’m Abby Curtis, by the way. I’m auditioning to be your opening act tomorrow.” He did know her. She’d covered “The One” on her YouTube channel. A fan had tweeted him the link a couple months ago. He’d heard she even got a recording deal out of it, which he wasn’t surprised about. She had a killer voice. “I do know you. Sweet cover of ‘The One.’” A faint red tint bloomed on her cheeks as she studied her flip-flops. “Thanks. I didn’t know if you guys had seen it.”

He wanted to tell her to stop hiding her face. She was so pretty yet seemed humble at the same time. So different than the actress he’d just left who knew she was beautiful and worked it—and her celebrity status—to her advantage. Nathan bent over to meet her eyes, hoping she’d get the hint and look up, maybe even smile at him again. “The slower arrangement was killer.” She finally did look up. “Yeah?” He smiled at her even redder cheeks; at least he wasn’t the only one embarrassed. “The song you were just

singing, is that your audition song?” She shook her head. “No. That’s a little song I’m trying to figure out. It’s not telling me everything yet, though.” Nathan grinned. Had this girl swam around in his brain before? Weird as it sounded, he knew exactly what she meant. He took a seat on the nearest bench, hoping she’d sit, too. After a few moments of eyeing the bench, then Nathan, then back again, she sat—a good foot and a half away. He slid a little closer.

For a while, they just sat there, city sounds behind them and nothing but the quiet river in front. Surprised Beau was letting him stay out so long, he glanced back. The bodyguard still stood at the top of the ramp, eyes trained forward and surveying. Nathan wasn’t naïve enough to think Beau hadn’t noticed him talking to somebody, but he appreciated the space. He turned back around and caught Abby staring at him. “You excited about the audition?” he asked. “Yes…and no. I think I might be more

nervous. I have a tiny issue with stage fright.” She smiled, but then it fell right off like a sack of rocks over a cliff. “Probably shouldn’t have mentioned that to you.” “Don’t worry. Anything you say here will not be used against you tomorrow. Promise.” She smiled again, but this time the full power of her grin blasted her target— him. It did funny things to his stomach. Hopefully she couldn’t see right through to his traitorous butterflies. Some suave bachelor he was turning out to be.

The guys would be so ashamed. Hell, he was ashamed. Nathan Strong was a pop star. He was supposed to be the new smooth member of the group, not falling all over himself because of a girl. For crying out loud, he sang love songs to thousands of girls almost every night, and he couldn’t handle talking to just one? If Miles wouldn’t pick on him relentlessly, Nathan might even ask for advice on how to act so cool around pretty girls. It was clear he needed it. She sighed. “I don’t know if it was the

same for you when you made it on Rockstars: Live! but it’s hard to be close to your dreams yet still so far away. I thought getting the record deal was my dream. Turns out it’s not. What good is it if I haven’t shared my songs, and me, yet?” He turned toward her, eyes wide. Everything she said sounded so familiar, as if Nathan had said or thought the exact same thing many times before but had never been able to vocalize it in that way. “I get it. You just want to share your little piece of the world with

everybody.” She beamed. “Exactly.” “Well, what does your label say? When are you going to start recording?” Abby shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean…my take on the whole thing? I’m not sure they know what to do with me. All I’m known for now is covers of really great songs other people have written. But I’ve been up front with them from the beginning that I want to write my own stuff.” Nathan knew from experience that was a difficult battle to win. Ryder was a

great example of the end result if you didn’t get your way. “You should stick to your guns. If you record something you’re not one hundred percent behind, it’ll weigh on you.” Abby gazed at the river and, after a moment, she nodded once, almost as if she’d made up her mind to go down fighting. Maybe his words would help her in the struggle she likely had in front of her. “So, can I ask you about the tour? Is it all work and no play? What do you guys do for fun?”

Nathan’s brain went on autopilot. “Well, we play a lot of—” She pointed a finger at him. “Do not give me your rehearsed answer, either. I’ve read too many S2J articles to know what you’ve already told everyone else. I want the real answer.” Nathan laughed. He hadn’t even realized he had a rehearsed answer, but when so many of the same questions were asked day in and day out, it was easy to have a go-to answer that pleased everyone. “Truth is, we do play a lot of video games. We’re together a lot, but

we also find time to do our own thing, too. Like earlier today, we got stuck in traffic. I read some fan mail while Trevin and Miles played video games. Ryder was talking to Mia, and Will was…well, not sure. Whatever he was doing he was quiet about it.” “So, you have downtime to call home and stuff?” Nathan hesitated. It was that word again…downtime. Nathan Strong would say: I always make time for the people I care about. But for some reason, he wanted to be honest with her. Real.

“Yeah…I wouldn’t say we have tons of time to do that, but you just have to squeeze it in when you can. It might mean you’re calling home at midnight after a show, but as long as you have a cool family, it should work out.” She asked him about his daily routine and nodded the whole time he explained. She was probably asking in case she got the gig, so he went into a lot of detail about everything except his pretend dates. That he was keeping to himself. He didn’t know a lot about impressing girls, but he figured that was one way to

get turned down real quick. He talked longer than necessary, half selfishly to keep them talking and half actually trying to be helpful. He loved the way Abby listened as if she were actually interested in the answers. He was so used to talking to reporters who were always three questions ahead of him in their heads, or to his blind dates who really only loved to talk about themselves. But Abby was different. She wanted to know him. “And do you have any days off in a row when you could go home? Take a

break?” Nathan laughed. A break? With his full schedule? “Not on this tour. We were supposed to have time off, then we added the international leg. It’s cool to be headed overseas, and I’m excited, but it’s a long time to be gone.” Abby nodded. “That’s what I’m afraid of. I know I’ll miss my mom. I mean, if I happen to get the job.” Nathan didn’t know how to help her in the loneliness department except to tell her to keep busy. He should probably get more homesick than he’d been lately, but

LJ was always talking to him about the band in the spare moments he did have that he never had the chance to even think about feeling lonely. As if she read his mind, she asked, “When do you think you’ll be seeing your mom and sister again?” That was one thing he’d never get used to. People he’d never met before knew almost everything about him before ever meeting him. It was unfair. That knowledge put them a step ahead of him. He shrugged. “Since we’re on the East

Coast leg of the tour, I think they’ll try to at least come to one show.” Abby frowned. “Just one?” He waved her frown away. “They’ve been with me since the beginning. I don’t think S2J is all that exciting to them anymore.” Truth was, he didn’t want to talk about his family. His mom was about to head home after being on a yacht with some new guy for most of the summer, and his sister was spending her break with college friends. Even if he did have time to think about going home, they wouldn’t

even be there. It was time to change the subject— after all, he’d unintentionally let her ask most of the questions. “I feel like I’m doing all the talking. Tell me something about you.” Abby picked at the hemline of her dress. “I—” She caught her lip between her teeth. “I don’t know. I guess I’m kind of boring.” “That’s not possible,” Nathan said. She’d been the most interesting person he’d spoken to in a while. “I can tell there’s so much more to you, Abby

Curtis, you’re just not sharing.” The line could’ve passed as a corny heartthrob line, but it was the truth. It was nice to sit and talk with someone about things that actually mattered—and not just business, either. Sharing his voice—his music—was why he wanted to do this in the first place. Why he spent time after school rehearsing instead of joining the neighborhood kids in a basketball game. “Well, there is one thing.” The corner of Abby’s mouth turned up. “I’m really into The Vampire Diaries. Do you watch

that?” She didn’t even give him time to respond before launching into a spiel. “It’s so good. I’m more of a Stefan girl myself, but most everyone else I know is in love with Damon. Then there’s the spin-off, The Originals. I was hoping it would be all about Caroline getting with Klaus, but unfortunately it’s not. The show’s good, though. It takes place in New Orleans. I would love to go there one day.” Nathan smiled as Abby’s eyes lit up. He’d been to New Orleans and loved it. Even though he didn’t know her all that

well, he hoped she’d be able to go one day. It was too bad the tour had already passed that part of the U.S., because he’d take her there himself if he had the chance. “I’ll have to check those shows out.” “You’ll have to tell me if you like them. I mean, if we get the chance.” Abby sulked back on the bench. Was she thinking what he was thinking? Would they ever get to talk like this again? He wanted to tell her how he liked watching The Tudors whenever he did have a bit of spare time. How he

loved getting to live in someone else’s world for a change. But Beau wasn’t going to sit back and let them talk all night long. Abby tapped a rhythm with her fingers on her leg. Curious, Nathan asked, “When did you start singing?” “I was late, I guess. I mean, that’s what everyone tells me. I really didn’t get interested in it until I was about ten or so.” “Really? I guess that isn’t the answer you normally hear. What was it about

music that got you started?” If he thought Abby’s cheeks were red before, he must’ve been colorblind— they were now fire engine red. She thought for a while before answering. “It takes you places, like reading a great book. I can have so many emotions in just one song. Add myself singing and playing guitar and the emotion can be overwhelming. I’m sharing my soul with whoever will listen.” Her words sunk deep into his pores, lighting his limbs on fire with energy. And then—an idea. He stood and

offered her his hand before he chickened out. She glanced at it and then up to him, questions in her eyes. “How do you feel about dancing to music?” he asked. Abby straightened. “There’s no music.” “Baby…I’m a pop star. You don’t think I can make music?” She giggled into the back of her hand. Proud of himself for actually flirting without messing up, Nathan turned his phone on and scrolled through his music

library. He decided on an oldie but a goodie. Otis Redding’s smooth, beat-perfect voice poured through the speakers as he sang “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.” Not only were their surroundings perfect for this song, but it also reminded him of what he’d been through to get here. Leaving home, following a dream…it was as if Otis had written the song for him. Now that he knew more about Abby, he might as well have written the song for her, too. Abby slid her hand into Nathan’s

palm, and he pulled her up. After a few awkward moments, they both fell into the rhythm and lull of the music. She laid her head on his shoulder and he pulled her closer, aligning their bodies. When he reached around her back, his fingertips brushed bare skin. He had to swallow; cotton mouth dried up his throat. With his height advantage and the way she curled into him, Nathan had a perfect view of the back of Abby’s dress and his hand lying against her creamy skin. The exact opposite of the front, the back revealed her shoulders and some of

her spine. He’d never seen anything so stunning before—at least, not in person. She might not have an angel’s feathers, but she was as radiant as one. He pressed the small of her back toward him, and she shifted forward. She adjusted her head on his shoulder and sang quietly into his ear. A thrill shot through him when he recognized Otis Redding’s lyrics in her voice. Half of him couldn’t believe she actually knew the words to this song. He closed his eyes and picked up at the chorus. Together, they sang about

sitting next to the ocean and watching the waves. With Otis’s beautiful melody, Nathan had no problem picturing him and Abby on a dock, their legs swinging over the water as they peered out over a beautiful blue bay. When they got to the bridge, Abby stopped singing and pulled away just enough to watch him sing. Her stare roamed all over his face. He was too into the music to be embarrassed. That was why he loved songs so much— the emotion just a few notes and lyrics could rain down on

you…he agreed with Abby wholeheartedly on that point. Otis singing about being tired and on his own resonated with him the most at this moment. Actually having Abby in his arms made him realize what he’d been missing. Responsibility had torn Nathan into pieces. The longer he sang for Abby, the more those pieces melded together. By the time Otis’s whistling played, Nathan and Abby weren’t dancing anymore—instead, they were frozen in each other’s arms. Hell, Nathan had barely taken a breath. One wrong

move and this moment would disappear in a heartbeat. One right move, though… Nathan swallowed the gigantic lump in his throat and tilted his head. He slanted his mouth over Abby’s and met her soft lips. He kissed her gently, passionately, the only kiss an Otis Redding song would call for. She melted into him, their bodies instinctively lining up. His heart hammered in his chest as he thanked all the other guys for hooking up with their girlfriends. If they hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been in this exact spot with this

exact girl in this exact, wonderful moment. “JEREMIAH WAS A BULLFROG.” Abby jumped back. Nathan gasped, silently cursing Otis’s short song and stupid Three Dog Night’s loud intro to “Joy to the World.” When he rounded up the courage to look at Abby, her fingers were on her lips. Distracted, he pressed down on his phone several times, but the music still blared from the speakers. She giggled and he laughed as he kept tapping the stupid screen until the song paused.

“There. That’s better.” She smiled, then her gaze drifted to his left and she frowned. Beau was strolling toward them—and he didn’t look happy. No. That wasn’t enough time. They’d barely spoken, let alone started the good part. There was still so much more he needed to know besides that Abby Curtis was perfect for him and one hell of a kisser. Not that he had much experience to go on, but any girl that could make him feel like that must’ve been an incredible kisser. Beau’s gaze infiltrated Nathan’s

sourness. “You’ve got a full schedule tomorrow, and the guys want to lay down a track tonight. LJ is blowing up my phone.” LJ. The band. Shit. He mentally slapped his forehead. He’d broken the one rule he was intent on keeping so he could keep the band together for them all—be available but don’t be available. How had Abby made him forget everything for a few moments? Panicked, he glanced around. The night was still quiet. No sign of

paparazzi anywhere. That was a hell of a good sign, considering he’d let his guard down and Abby had no problem seeping right into him within a matter of minutes. He turned toward her, wanting to apologize for having to leave but also for himself. He shouldn’t have let that happen. “I’m so sorry.” A small smile curved her lips as she nodded. “I get it. You’re busy. Don’t worry about it.” Nathan ran his hands through his hair. He couldn’t just leave her here like this —he wasn’t that guy. Turning to Beau, he

asked, “Give us one sec?” Beau looked like he wanted to do anything but that, but he turned and made his way back up the ramp anyway. “Have you got a ride somewhere?” Abby pointed to one of the tall buildings close to them. “That’s where we’re staying.” Nathan’s mind went south quick, but a late night rendezvous at a hotel wasn’t on his schedule. In fact, it was on the Never Do This Unless You Want to Lose All Your Fans in One Night list, so it shouldn’t have even popped into his

head. He had big problems, but Abby couldn’t be the solution. “Um…” Abby peered at her feet but then met his stare head on. “Thanks for the talk. And for the dance. You have a beautiful voice. It’s not every day a girl gets a dance and a song from Nathan Strong.” He smiled, too. “No, I guess not.” She pressed a quick kiss to Nathan’s cheek. “I’ll see you around.” Shocked, Nathan’s fingers touched his tingling skin as she walked away. He

could still feel the press of her lips there, but it was almost as if it were a dream, just an impression of something that hadn’t really happened. “Good luck tomorrow,” he called after her. Abby walked backward for a few strides, flashing him one of her killer smiles. She waved once then turned back, the dark night swallowing her silhouette right in front of his eyes. He knew he’d screwed up the “don’t be available” thing, but with the memory of Abby’s lips still vivid, he couldn’t

bring himself to regret it. At least not yet.

Chapter Two NATHAN he name of the girl who’d made him forget everything was on a plain sheet of paper in big, black, bold letters. She was the third out of five auditions that he and the guys would

T

choose from. Hiring their next opening act was a big deal. S2J had fought to make the decision theirs instead of their label’s. After all, they were the ones that’d have to talk, eat, and work with them. They’d be a reflection on Seconds to Juliet, and the guys agreed they didn’t want any more divas like Cherry. Those who made it to auditions were thoroughly checked for any rumors of big egos. It was LJ who decided the groups would audition on the huge stage that S2J would perform live on later. That

way, the acts who weren’t used to playing in front of large crowds would stick out and it’d be easier to decide. Nathan saw it more as an intimidation factor, which made him nervous for Abby. She never mentioned how much experience she had performing, but he guessed it wasn’t much, especially not at a sold-out stadium. After all, singing in front of huge crowds was miles away from singing in front of a camera in your bedroom. But he kept forgetting that wasn’t his problem.

Last night, it had been easy to focus on her instead of what it would mean if she actually won the spot as the band’s opening act. She’d made him feel normal for a few minutes. He could’ve been at home in Pennsylvania talking to Abby in gym class about the next day’s math test the way they clicked last night. Too many times he’d felt like the Nathan Strong from Seconds to Juliet and not just Nathan. But if she was as amazing today as she’d been last night? He was screwed. He should’ve told Abby what would

happen if she got the job—or more importantly, what couldn’t happen. It wasn’t as if they’d be able to pick up where things left off last night. Thanks to Miles and LJ’s rule, he wasn’t allowed to date an opening act. There was no way LJ would compromise Seconds to Juliet for her or for Nathan. LJ leaned against the stage, arms crossed, giving a rundown of the day with auditions as the main priority for the next two hours. Nathan sat at a long table situated front and center of the good seats with the rest of the guys. He

couldn’t help but think it was a little too Simon Cowell—he even had individual score sheets for the acts, not that he’d use them. His vote would be based on heart and gut instinct. It hadn’t failed him before. Their manager clapped his hands together. “All right? Great. Everybody take a break except Nathan. I need to see you.” LJ’s eyes glowed with a certain delight, and Nathan couldn’t help but feel good if he was the reason LJ was in such a great mood. Yes, he sometimes

resented he’d had to work more than the rest of the guys lately, but he’d rather do it than not have the opportunity. The guys stood. Trevin pushed Miles playfully out of the way and into Will’s shoulder. Ryder stood quickly, sunglasses on. Nathan hadn’t been sure he’d even stayed awake through LJ’s chat, not that he’d blame Ryder if he’d fallen asleep. He just wished he had the balls to do it. LJ took Will’s seat. “Marissa’s camp called. She’s taken with you and wants to set up another date.”

Nathan cringed. He’d thrown Marissa’s number out after he got back to the hotel last night. Their dinner seemed so fake next to the moments he’d shared with Abby. He couldn’t picture the cute blonde who shared his dreams scribbling her name and number down on the torn corner of the menu like Marissa had. “A second date?” Nathan asked. “What’s the angle?” As soon as he’d said it, he despised himself. It sounded so business-like, so not him. He shouldn’t have to worry

about angles or publicity. His job should be singing. Period. “Well, we’re in Jersey for a couple more nights. Seems to me if you were serious about helping the band you’d try to hang out with her as much as you could.” Nathan wished he were wearing Ryder’s sunglasses right now so he wouldn’t have to hide the look on his face. “But I don’t like her.” LJ scratched his forehead. “What does that matter? She has the ‘it’ factor, and you two are adorable together. That’s all

we need. I don’t want you to marry her, but the fans like seeing you out wining and dining so they can pretend they’re your date. And it sure as hell doesn’t hurt that she’s got fans that aren’t our fans. Think of the new market we’re tapping into.” “I don’t know…” LJ sat back in the chair, shoulders slumped. “I don’t get it. I thought you’d do anything for S2J.” “You know I would. I’m just not sure this is helping. Maybe instead of taking off and dating every spare moment, I

should be working on songs and—” LJ straightened. “This band has been the biggest thing the world has seen since day one. If you want to keep it that way, you’ll do what I say.” Point taken. Still, Nathan didn’t see the advantage of a second date. “I just don’t see how going out with her again will work. Won’t it fuel rumors that we’re serious? That’s not what we want, either. I thought you said ‘be available but don’t be available.’” Instead of frowning like Nathan hoped, LJ’s eyes widened as a slow grin

spread across his face. Nathan’s stomach bottomed out—he knew that look. LJ had an idea, and Nathan probably wasn’t going to like it. As much as Nathan hated it, LJ owned him and he’d do whatever he said. If it weren’t for LJ and Rockstars: Live! he would still be a nobody. And if he didn’t do what was necessary to keep the band successful, he’d go back to being a nobody. Back to his family who’d gotten a taste of the good life—a far cry from living in his grandparents’ basement— and they’d resent him for losing it for

them. It wasn’t just his life at stake, it was theirs, too, and they’d done so much to give him this chance. He owed it to them to keep his career alive so that he could pay them back and then some. Yes, he would do anything LJ asked, and that was what made him scary. “I’ve got a great idea, kid. Something that’ll help both you and Marissa out. Let me get in touch with her team and I’ll get back to you. This could be good, really good.”

Chapter Three ABBY t was ten minutes before Abby had to take the stage and sing in front of Seconds to Juliet. Ten minutes before she’d done all she could to get this gig. Minute ten wouldn’t be bad, it was one

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through nine that was making her panic. Especially since her manager Reeta wouldn’t leave her alone. Reeta smoothed down her brown hair on either side of her straight, down-themiddle part. She repositioned the bag on her arm and then squared her shoulders. “You ready?” As ready as Abby would ever be. God, she wished her mother were here. They’d decided as a team a week ago that Abby needed to stay focused, and somehow her mother being around wouldn’t be the best thing for her

concentration. At the time, Abby had been willing to go with what everyone else thought, but now? She wished she’d told them she needed her mom with her, even if it did make her feel like a little kid. They walked slowly together toward the back door of the stadium. Much to Reeta’s annoyance, Abby had wanted to spend the free time before the audition outside among the real world instead of staring at her possible future for hours. As they got closer to the huge oval building, the butterflies picked up again.

She sang a few lines from “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” as she relived her dance with Nathan. It helped ease her nerves. Now that she thought about it, it was odd she hadn’t been nervous talking to Nathan. She hadn’t even been nervous when he asked her to dance. She found it comforting she could talk about her dreams and not feel like a freak. It was only when he got that look in his eye, the intense I’m-about-to-kiss-you look, that her blood had really started pumping. Reeta actually smiled—her first real

one all day. Abby almost stuttered over the lyrics but held strong. When they got to the door, a pit of nerves opened in her belly. She was about to see Nathan Strong (and Nathan Strong’s lips) for the second time in twenty-four hours. She stopped singing Otis Redding and switched to Taylor Swift’s “Sparks Fly,” which seemed more appropriate with the kinds of thoughts swirling in her head. Plus, she’d already covered it on her YouTube channel and her subscribers loved her rendition. Even better, if Abby could trust her

sixteen-year-old eyes, she could’ve sworn Reeta bobbed her head to the words. Did Reeta like Taylor Swift? Sure, she would have to know of her because she worked in the music business, but Reeta seemed more of an easy listening type of person. Maybe even classical—all instrumental, no music. Hey, if Reeta was a T. Swift fan, maybe there was hope for their relationship after all. When the door to the back entrance shut behind them, Reeta pulled out

Abby’s iPod from her black bag and then handed it over. Abby smiled a thanks and then searched through the songs until she found a few perfect ones to get her hyped up. Before Abby knew it, she was settled in the green room along with a few others. She sat back in a chair and closed her eyes as the beginning of Taylor Swift’s “Long Live” came through. She’d always been in awe of lyrics. How they could pair up with a melody and make someone smile, or laugh, or

cry. This particular song empowered her as if her dreams were the blood coursing through her body, keeping her alive. When this album first released, she used to stand in the middle of her room and belt this song out at the top of her lungs. Goose bumps spread over her arms as Taylor sang about finally getting off the sidelines and accomplishing her dream. For Abby, that moment was right now. Maybe it wasn’t up to her whether she won or lost the audition, but she wasn’t sitting back any longer. She was here

and she needed to kill it. What she’d told Nathan yesterday was true. She’d thought getting the record deal was her dream, but she’d been wrong. It was getting to share her voice, her stories with the world. If she got this gig, she’d be able to do that. All of S2J’s fans would be her audience. Maybe they’d like her, even shout her name and go nuts when the first notes of her song came pouring through the speakers. It didn’t matter if it was six people or six thousand, they’d get to hear her. Someone tapped her shoulder.

Startled, Abby jumped and her eyes flew open. Reeta stood in front of her, a tight smile on her face. “It’s time,” she mouthed. Or maybe she’d said it out loud, but the song still building in Abby’s ears had drowned it out. Abby pulled the earbuds from her ears and then handed the iPod to Reeta. A guy with a headset around his neck waited for the pair of them by the door. They followed as he walked through the maze of tunnels. After a minute, a wisp of fresh air caressed Abby’s face; they

were close. She took a shaky breath and focused. When she found out she was actually auditioning on the MetLife stage, she almost had a panic attack, but right now, she felt as if she could do almost anything. She knew two things: she could control her voice and she wanted this gig. She wanted to be S2J’s next opening act, and she could do it if she’d just be herself and sing like she knew she could. Her plan was to pretend she was in her bedroom singing a Taylor Swift song in front of her webcam like any other day.

Their escort handed Abby her guitar as they hit the side of the stage. She used the last moments of the audition before hers to make sure it was tuned. A trio of girls bounced offstage in front of her, and she smiled at them before getting back to work. Her escort said something into the mike and then pointed at Abby. She was on. bby didn’t even glance down at the first rows of seats. She knew what she’d see: Mr. Pearl’s balding head, Miles’s hair, Ryder’s cocky smile, Will’s gorgeous smile, Trevin’s older,

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big brotherly look, and Nathan’s lips. She didn’t need to see Nathan’s lips right now. They weren’t going to win her this gig. She strummed a few lines then adjusted the hat she’d fought with Reeta that morning over wearing. It was her signature hat and it went well with the cute, lacey dress she wore. Abby stepped toward the mike. “I’m Abby Curtis. I know you have on your sheet that I’m singing your song, “The One,” which is the song that got me my record deal. But if you don’t mind, I’d

like to sing something else.” She strummed a few more notes, watching as her fingers played over the strings. She hadn’t planned on changing her mind. But now that she was out here and the wind blew her hair and a mike to share her voice stood in front of her, she wanted to do something different “I’d like to sing Christina Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years.’” She hesitated, waiting for some sort of confirmation from someone. After a few seconds of nothing, she glanced toward the side of the stage. Reeta’s eyes were

wide and frantic, and her fingernails were in her mouth. Huh. Abby didn’t know Reeta was a nail biter. The headset guy waved her on, so she stepped up to the mike again. “Okay. Great. I’ve never sung it anywhere except my head, so I hope it goes okay.” She laughed at herself as she took a step back from the mike. Maybe she should’ve kept that part to herself, but oh well, it was already out in the open. There was nothing to do now but start the song and prove that, despite her

awkwardness, she really was a great singer. Once she played her fingers over the strings and the first few notes came out of the gigantic speakers, she lost herself. Music filled her mind and body until she sang and played on instinct. Christina Perri’s lyrics were intended as a love song, but they fit perfectly for what she felt right now. She could be brave. She had her dream right in front of her just waiting for her to take it, and that’s what she intended to do. Every emotion, every feeling she ever

had about singing and writing songs poured from her like rushing water over a cliff, a nonstop well of emotion. For four minutes she would sing from her heart and soul. When she was finished, she would leave everything on the stage —she’d make sure she had nothing left to give. If her heart wasn’t enough, she didn’t know what else she could give. When the guitar solo hit, she smiled up at the clouds. It felt amazing. Goose bumps sprouted all over her body as she strummed harder over the strings. Beautiful notes blasted from the

speakers and filled her from head to toe before pouring out over the stadium. Her confidence rose with each note, and by the time she picked up with the lyrics again, she felt like a new person. There were only a few more lyrics left, the last chorus, and then she was done. She waited until the speakers stopped carrying her voice and the last guitar chords through the air before she finally gazed at the front row. The guys had stood and were clapping. Mr. Pearl looked like he’d eaten a canary, and even Ryder’s smile

didn’t seem quite as smug as she imagined it would. In fact, he looked impressed behind his dark sunglasses. Miles looked like the heartthrob, of course, while the others had their smiles on full blast. She searched for the one reaction she couldn’t wait to see but…where was he? She scanned the seats again until she finally found Nathan…still sitting. And his lips. Oh, his lips. They weren’t smiling.

Chapter Four NATHAN he guys were all talking at once. Nathan tried to quiet the voices both in and out of his head. He hadn’t really thought about what it would mean if Abby won the audition until right now,

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because right now, he was sure she would win. She’d been amazing. Better than last night, better than her rendition of “The One” on her YouTube channel. She’d nailed that song. It was more beautiful than the original. And he loved the original. His mind whirred. He never would’ve imagined this, but part of him didn’t want her to win. There was no doubt she deserved to win, but if she did, he’d have to be so careful around her. Her singing alone made him infatuated with

her, but the fact he knew she was like him, that they could talk to each other about things he—they—cared about, made it so much worse. He liked her. Around her, he wouldn’t be able to let himself forget what his goal was. Not with everyone counting on him. Trevin elbowed Nathan in the ribs. “You’re quiet. Wasn’t that girl amazing?” Miles laughed. “Of course she was, mate. I don’t even think we need to see anyone else. She’s our next opening act.” “Wait? What?” Nathan found it hard to

focus while Abby walked offstage, her gaze firmly fixed on his. “Were you even listening?” Will asked. “That girl was awesome. If we don’t scoop her up, someone else will.” “She was bloody brilliant,” Miles added. Even Ryder seemed jazzed about it. “Let’s take a vote. Who thinks we should just hire this Abby girl and cancel the other auditions? I don’t know about you guys, but I could use an extra hour of downtime.” One-by-one the rest of the guys,

including LJ, raised their hands. Heads whipped around toward Nathan when he didn’t raise his. Ryder pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head. “What’s got your diaper in a twist?” “I just don’t think I can vote on this one. I’m torn. She was good, but…” But he couldn’t have her, and if he had to see her every day, it would be the worst kind of torture. Sensing a confrontation, Trevin intervened. “Torn? She’s got the perfect sound to complement us. She’s our age,

she’s new, so she won’t have a chip on her shoulder, and we’ll be helping her out, too. Right now, she hasn’t been fully discovered, but put her in front of thousands of our fans and she’ll be big in no time.” Nathan hesitated. He’d love to help Abby—even yesterday he’d had that need to give her advice. But he couldn’t vote yes and willingly put himself through the struggle he’d face every day for the rest of the tour if she was their new opening act and therefore, completely off limits. He’d see her in the

food tent, backstage, sound check, wardrobe…everywhere. He sighed. “I’m willing to do what everyone else wants to, but I’m not voting on this one.” Creases formed between LJ’s narrowing eyes, reminding Nathan why he always wanted to be on the receiving end of LJ’s good moods, not his bad ones. “What?” he asked. Crap. Apparently being quiet was drawing more suspicion than if he’d just sucked it up and voted for her. He couldn’t just retract what he’d said now,

though. That’d make LJ even more suspicious. Nathan’s gaze fell to the ground. “I just don’t want to vote on this one.” Ryder pulled his hands through his hair. “Dude. It’s not like we’re asking you to vote on murdering someone. Do we help this girl out or not? That’s all you have to think about.” “The ones we’ve seen were rubbish compared to her,” Miles added. “I’m not doing it for the extra hour of downtime, but if we know we want her and that’s an added bonus, I say let’s go for it.”

LJ put a hand up, silencing the others. “All right, take a minute. Nathan, you and I are taking a walk.” He placed his heavy arm around Nathan’s shoulders as they turned from the stage and up the aisle that would soon be filled with hundreds of screaming Seconds to Juliet fans. Ten rows up, LJ stopped walking and pointed at Nathan’s forehead. “What’s going on in there, Nathan?” Should he tell LJ he’d already met Abby? The kiss? Why he didn’t want to vote?

No, definitely not. Abby had a chance to make something of herself with this audition. Nathan wouldn’t screw up her chances because he’d gotten so carried away he hadn’t been able to keep his lips to himself. He’d just have to keep what had happened from ever getting out. And from now on, make sure he never let things with Abby get out of hand again. LJ glanced toward the stage, and Nathan followed his gaze. His four best friends were standing around talking, probably about him. Trevin peered over

Miles’s shoulder and shook his head. He wished one of them, any of them, were in his position right now making these huge decisions. He was the youngest—this wasn’t supposed to be his responsibility. “Listen, kid,” LJ said, “I know this is a big decision and you want to do what’s best for the group. You trust me, don’t you?” Nathan nodded. Of course he did. LJ was a major part of the success they’d earned over the last two years. “I’m telling you, I can spot talent when I see it. Abby Curtis is going to be big.

What Trevin said was true—we can help her—but she won’t need help for long. Think of the whole new demographic Abby Curtis fans will bring to S2J. Stylistically, she’s a little different, but that’s a good thing for us. The rest of the acts we’ve seen? We’ll have to carry them. With Abby, we’ll be scratching each other’s backs by the time the tour ends, if you know what I mean.” Nathan massaged his neck. A headache throbbed at his temples just thinking about all the extra crap he had to worry about. “You really believe

she’ll be able to help us?” “Wholeheartedly, son. You know I wouldn’t lie to you. She might even be able to take some of the pressure off you.” LJ and the guys were completely right. Of course, they didn’t know the whole story, but he was willing to take one for the team. Again. “Let’s do it.” He’d either made the best decision of his life, or the worst.

Chapter Five ABBY t took time to register that Reeta was jumping up and down. Abby had never seen her so excited before. Come to think of it, she’d never seen Reeta show any emotion, so this

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was like a fist to the face. Honestly, she would’ve been way happier about Reeta’s outburst if Nathan hadn’t acted so casual after her song. Hell, even Ryder seemed more excited than he did. What was that about? Why would he kiss her and then act as if he didn’t care? It didn’t make sense. Reeta was oblivious to it all. She kept babbling on about Abby’s decision to sing a different song. Apparently, Abby had almost given her a heart attack. “But what came out of your mouth was so beautiful.” Was that a hitch in Reeta’s

voice? Was she getting emotional? Her manager put her hands on Abby’s shoulders. “That was incredible, Abby. I knew you had it in you.” Suddenly uncomfortable, Abby stared down at her shoes. “Yeah.” “I got it all on video for your mom, so I’m sure you’ll be hearing from her soon.” Reeta once again rummaged through her bag and brought out Abby’s phone. “She’s going to be one proud mama.” Abby smiled. “Yeah?” “You have no idea.” Reeta’s gaze

flitted away. “Shh. Here comes Mr. Pearl. Let me do the talking. Absolutely do not say anything unless he talks to you directly.” Mr. Pearl walked up the stairs to the stage with S2J following close behind. Abby tried not to look at Nathan, which was easier said than done. She just wanted to understand where his head was at, especially if they’d be working together. Though technically, they weren’t going to be working together— he’d be her boss…kind of, in a weird roundabout way.

Oh God. She’d kissed her boss. That was probably never a good idea. Oh no. What if that was why Cherry had been fired? Had one of them kissed someone they shouldn’t have? Someone like Nathan? Her stomach flipped. She hoped not, partially because she didn’t like the idea of anyone kissing Nathan, and partially because if it was true, she was most definitely on her way out. Had Nathan told Mr. Pearl they’d kissed? She was so screwed. Reeta would be furious…and so disappointed. She thought Abby had it

in the bag. Abby stood as if she were in front of a firing squad, except she didn’t know what would come at her. It could be a good news bullet. It could be a terrible news bullet. Except bullets were always terrible news, weren’t they? She turned toward Reeta. “Don’t be upset if I don’t get it.” “Don’t be silly, they loved you.” “Yeah, but—” “Shh. Stay calm, okay? Do one of your breathing things or something.” Abby’s eyes widened. Did Reeta

really just say that? Her manager had made it clear from the beginning she thought the breathing technique her mom taught her was a waste of time. Before Abby could say anything or even start the breathing, Mr. Pearl’s meaty hand reached for hers. She shook it, and they moved down the line. She shook every single one of Seconds to Juliet’s hands. Even Nathan’s, whose hand went limp in hers as if it weren’t familiar with her touch. “Abby.” Mr. Pearl smiled a toothy grin. “I have some things to talk over

with your manager, Miss Paul here, but we’d like to extend the opening act job to you. We think you’ll be a great fit around here, and I speak for all of us when I say how excited we are.” So much happiness bubbled inside Abby that she couldn’t make her voice work. All she could do was smile and nod. She’d done it. She was actually Seconds to Juliet’s new opening act. “We know you’re new to the biz side of things, so the guys thought it would be a good idea if you came to their sound check straight through to the concert

tonight. It’ll give you a good idea of how we run things.” Abby swallowed. “That’d be great.” Reeta shot her a look. Abby ignored it and instead tried to stare Nathan down so he’d look at her. It didn’t work. He kept his stare on the floor. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was labeled the shy one. Mr. Pearl clapped his hands together once. “Good. Now I hate to start off like this, but there’s one rule you need to remember. You’re here as the opening act. That means you’re here to do a job.

And that means I don’t want to hear anything about you getting involved with any of the band.” Miles laughed. “If she gets involved with any of us, it’s our girlfriends who will have something to say to her.” LJ glared at Miles. “It’s that funny business between you and Paige that made me insist on this rule in the first place.” He leaned in close to Abby. “This is the beginning of something great for you. Be smart and it could last for the rest of your life.” He returned to his business-like stance. “Sound good?”

Abby gulped. No wonder Nathan didn’t want to look at her. She hadn’t even been hired yet and she’d already done something wrong. “O-okay,” she said. LJ smiled. “Stick around then. The guys have lunch, then sound check, then interviews where we’ll announce you’re the opening act. Then they have the preconcert Meet and Greet, and finally the concert.” Miles must have registered the shock on her face. “It sounds busy, but it goes by quick.”

Nathan looked on without really looking, his face an impassible mask. Trevin came forward. “We’ll show her to the cantina, LJ.” She fell in step alongside Trevin, half wishing she could walk alongside Nathan—even if it had to be incognito— and half not even believing she was walking with Seconds to Juliet, her favorite band. “Don’t let LJ scare you,” Trevin said. “His bark is worse than his bite.” “I’ll try to remember that,” she said. But she had a feeling LJ was 100 percent

serious about his threat. If she so much as looked at Nathan like she wanted to kiss him, LJ would fire her in a heartbeat. So don’t kiss him. She glanced at Nathan and his perfect face, his perfect lips, his— Yeah. This was going to be difficult. “So, where’re you from?” Trevin asked. Abby took a calming breath. “Pennsylvania.” “Really?” the big brother of the group said with a genuine smile. “Nathan’s

from Pennsylvania.” She watched as Trevin glanced behind them, but Nathan only grunted in response. She squared her shoulders and pursed her lips. She wouldn’t let Nathan’s indifference take away from this moment. “I know,” she said. “I’m a big fan of yours.” Her face heated. “I guess I probably should’ve kept that part to myself.” Trevin knocked her in the shoulder with his own. “No way. I can safely say I think we’re all big fans of yours, too.” Miles held up his phone in front of

them and the first few notes of Abby singing “The One” poured from the tiny cell speakers. “Looked you up on YouTube, Abby.” They were silent for a few terrifying seconds. It may as well have been a few hours. “Wow. That’s really good. I think I’ve seen this before. The melody is slower than the original.” He smiled at her. “I like it.” Before Abby had the chance to get embarrassed, Ryder said, “I thought it was pretty perfect the way it was.”

“Oh, shove off, mate. It’s just different, that’s all. I’m sending this to Aimee. She’ll love it.” Though Abby already knew, she asked, “Aimee’s your girlfriend, right?” Miles’s face lit up. “Yeah. She’s perfect.” She couldn’t help but smile. Ryder made a gagging sound, but he was only teasing—in fact, he was probably thinking about Mia. Even Trevin stared into space with a goofy grin as they made their way outside the main stadium to the food tent.

The security guard Abby had seen with Nathan last night waited in line ahead of them, and Trevin left the group to shake his hand. That’s right. Daisy, Trevin’s girlfriend, was S2J’s security guard’s daughter. Miles and Ryder turned away to talk on their phones, which left Abby with Will and Nathan. Will quickly stepped back. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, Abby, I eat clean so I don’t go through the usual line. They make my food special. I’m sure Nathan will show you where

everything is.” Will, oblivious to Nathan staring daggers into the back of his head, turned and left. Abby rolled her eyes. This was ridiculous. “Hey,” she said, finally breaking the silence between them. It went over like a coughing fit in church. He gazed at her, a scowl on his face. “Follow me.” “Okay…” Nathan had two of the world’s longest legs, because Abby had to walk double to keep up with him. On their way

through the line, she met a bunch of people whose names she didn’t think she’d be able to memorize, especially since the introductions were quick and short. As soon as Abby met the next person, the previous person’s name slipped from her brain as easily as water through a grate. When they finally made their way through, Abby sat, mind exhausted. Nathan tore into his pulled pork sandwich, eliminating any possible conversation between them. She didn’t know what his problem was, but she

was about to find out. Just because LJ had dropped that bomb on them didn’t mean he had to totally ignore her. Trying for a little humor at first, she said, “So, Nathan, I get the sense you’re upset.” Through a mouthful, Nathan said, “Aren’t you the observant one?” Abby gripped her plastic fork tighter. “Is it because of what happened last night?” Nathan’s eyes rounded, and he scanned the surrounding area before looking back at Abby. “There are eyes

and ears everywhere. Do not talk about that ever, but especially not here.” “I’m guessing you weren’t expecting me to win.” Nathan’s eyebrows furrowed. “That’s not it.” Uh-huh. Sure it wasn’t. Will plopped his plate on the table, and Abby sealed her lips shut while Nathan shoveled more pulled pork in his mouth. Will, oblivious to it all, sat with a contented smile. A single chicken breast lay in the middle of his plate with heaps of broccoli and green beans

surrounding it. She must’ve given it a look, because he said, “Don’t knock it until you try it.” She raised the salt potato she’d stabbed with her fork. “I’m good. Thanks, though.” He cut his naked chicken with a butter knife. Behind him, a pretty girl stopped and walked her fingers across his shoulders. He glanced up and smiled. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. When she left, he stared after her, his face glowing.

A little awkward, Abby fell silent. It was almost as if she’d witnessed a private moment. Will shook his head. “Sorry, Abby. That’s my girlfriend, Natasha. So, you really started out on YouTube? That’s amazing. How many views do you have?” And just like that, he’d changed the subject. “A few hundred thousand.” She paused. “Give or take.” “Whoa. That’s great. What inspired you to do that?” Abby’s stare drifted toward Nathan. “I

just wanted to sing. I come from a small town. There really aren’t many places to sing in public, and I kind of felt better singing alone anyway, so I asked my mom for a webcam one day and just started uploading songs.” “Do you mainly do covers?” She nodded. “Yeah, I have a lot of Taylor Swift. I love her. I have a few of your songs, but I don’t like just pop music. Just today, I’ve listened to Taylor Swift and Otis Redding. I like to think I’m eclectic.” Nathan’s gaze met hers when she said

Otis Redding. A wistful look passed between them, but it was quickly replaced with confusion on Nathan’s part. “And don’t forget Christina Perri,” Will said. “That’s such a beautiful song. I love the way you sang it, too.” She sneaked a peek at Nathan again— so maybe she was searching for a little compliment from him. She wanted him to admit she deserved the opening act spot, but it didn’t look like she would be getting anything from him any time soon. His face had morphed back to

impassiveness. “Thanks, Will. That means a lot.” Nathan stood, shaking the table. “Listen, I’m going to try and get a few minutes of shut-eye before sound check. I’ll see you guys later.” Will stared after him as Nathan walked swiftly away, then turned toward Abby and shrugged. “It’s been a long day already.”

Chapter Six NATHAN athan didn’t go to sleep. He went to his bunk on The One and played Otis’s song on his phone to make sure it wasn’t tainted now with thoughts of lost causes and never-going-to-happens.

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Abby’s audition had overwhelmed him. She was beautiful. Light spilled from her while she was up on that stage as if she was made of the sun’s rays. When she sang, her soul opened. Hope built in his chest, the kind that inspired new songs and the dream of new beginnings. With all the girls he’d gone on dates with recently, none had lit that spark. No matter how beautiful Abby was, or how talented, or how much she moved him, it couldn’t happen. He had his band mates to think about. And his family.

And now Abby herself. He was onto something good, and even though he wanted to pursue Abby like crazy, it wasn’t an option. Fortunately, as he listened to the lyrics of “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” he could separate Abby from one of his favorite tunes. Now, if he could separate himself from Abby Curtis, he’d be in business. Needing a distraction, he fished out the stack of fan letters LJ had given him the other day. He picked one out from the first few with red glittery heart stickers

on the envelope. He liked the ones that showed thought had gone into it. That someone took the time to press a sticker somewhere or draw him a picture meant everything to him. Dear Nathan, OMG, if you read this, I will just die. Literally. I’ve just spent hours watching interview clips of you on YouTube and you’re like the cutest thing ever. OMG, your smile! Your face! I follow you on Twitter, too. (CareBearXO14 if you want to tweet me!) I love all the backstage

photos you post. It makes it feel like I’m there so please don’t stop doing that! My absolute fave song is “Kiss This.” Believe me, there are so many girls just in my class alone that want to kiss you. I’ve seen on Yahoo! recently that you’ve dated a few actresses but what about real girls? Us real girls want you too, Nathan! Please share the love! I know you get asked all the time but would you date a fan? Or even kiss a fan? I’ve heard you say you

would on TV before but I thought if you could write me back and tell me the real answer it’d be really cool. I promise I won’t tell anyone. I think you and I would be absolutely perfect for each other so I hope you say yes. My sister and I are going to your concert in DC. I can’t wait! XOXO Carrie P.S. Please, please, please, PLEASE say you’ll date a fan and

not just famous people! I would die! Nathan smiled as he laid the letter down and shook his head. Fans said the craziest things sometimes when he thought about it literally. Would Carrie really want to die if Nathan read her letter or if he said he would date a fan? He hoped not. He wouldn’t want to say anything ever again. He was glad he read her letter, though. She’d reminded him he hadn’t taken pictures of MetLife Stadium yet. Sound check was in a little while; he’d have to

make sure to get some pics with the guys then. The air release of the bus alerted Nathan someone was coming on. He stuffed the letters to the side of his bunk, flopped down on his pillow, and pretended to sleep. A couple seconds later a hand shook his shoulder. “Hey, Nathan. Wake up.” Beau’s big mass hovered in the bunk’s opening. He pretended to be sleepy. “Yeah?” “An interview got moved up. Sound check is right now.”

Nathan got up and fake stretched. “Okay.” Beau crossed his arms and leaned against the bunk opposite him. “Did I just see the girl you met last night on the pier in the food tent? You guys must have really hit it off. How’s LJ taking that news?” Panic ignited in his chest. Nathan forgot Beau would’ve seen Abby yesterday. How much did he see? He pulled his hands through his hair and tried to calm himself. “That’s Abby Curtis. She’s our new opening act.”

“I know who she is now. Rumors about her audition are spreading like wildfire around here. But she’s the same girl from last night, right?” “No,” Nathan said without thinking. Because any hesitation would so not be good. “No way, Abby doesn’t even look like that girl. They both have blond hair, but that’s about it.” Beau’s eyebrows drew in. “Huh.” After a moment, he shook his head. “I must’ve been tired last night. Could’ve sworn it was the same girl.” Nathan laughed it off and then patted

Beau on the shoulder a couple of times. “You need some time off.” Afterward, he made his way through MetLife’s humongous backstage area, silently thanking whomever that he’d somehow totally pulled that off. Beau had no idea Abby was the same girl from last night, and he needed to keep it that way. Whatever Beau saw couldn’t be associated with Abby. Not that he thought their head security guard— who’d been with them from the start— would narc on him to LJ, but he didn’t want to take any chances of it getting out.

Beau and the guys were tight and he might let something slip without thinking. It would fly through the crew like crazy. Nathan had never met so many busybodies in his life. Sound check had already started when he got there, but he paused to snap a selfie with the whole arena in the background. He uploaded it to Instagram and Twitter and then shut his phone down so the pings of likes and comments wouldn’t upset their routine. The techs made their rounds, making sure everything was set up correctly, the

mikes were live, and musical instruments were where they should be. Will ran up the ramps, testing them out— he was Mr. Safety since getting hurt— and Trevin tried out the speaker jump he’d been working on. He caught Nathan watching him, and a smile spread across his face. “I think I’m putting this baby into play tonight.” “Don’t fall,” Ryder helpfully suggested. Miles shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time one of us fell during a show.” They all peered at Nathan who’d ate

stage the last time. “Ryder tripped me,” he reminded them. A giggle came from the sidelines and Nathan’s arms sprouted goose bumps. Dammit. He’d been proud of himself for deceiving Beau so easily, but how was he supposed to do it when she was right there? When his body went all traitor on him just from a simple giggle? He didn’t dare turn around while the guys were staring at him. His face would speak volumes. Justin, their head roadie, signaled they were ready. They always sang at least

one song all the way through to make sure everything was operational for the big night ahead. “What are we going with tonight?” Nathan asked. Three guys shrugged while Will looked to the side. “Let’s have our newest opening act decide. What say you, Abby? Which song should we test?” Nathan glanced over to find Abby blushing. “The One,” she said softly. A fierce red spread across her cheeks as she rocked back on her heels. It reminded Nathan of last night. “Excellent choice,” Ryder said.

Nathan wanted to be dramatic and roll his eyes at Ryder’s pompous attitude, but he had a job to do. He took his place on stage with the rest of the guys, put Ryder and Abby out of his head, and waited for the backup band to play the opening chords to “The One.” Despite all his good intentions, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at Abby. She hugged her arms to herself, a smile growing on her face as the song progressed. She hadn’t been kidding when she said she was a fan, and he loved that she was enjoying this. She

looked like she was about to burst. Around him, the band fizzled out, and the guys stared his way with puzzled expressions. His face heated. He couldn’t even look at Abby. “What?” he whispered to Will, who stood closest to him. Will’s lips curved into a small smile. “You missed your cue for your solo.” Oh God. He hadn’t done that in… never. He’d never done that. Justin jogged out. “Is your mike not working?” Nathan couldn’t even answer. He

hadn’t been paying attention to much of anything except for Abby—he didn’t even know if his mike was on, let alone working. How could he miss his solo? Justin grabbed the mike. “Check one, two. Check one, two, three.” He handed it back over to Nathan, a crease deepening between his eyes. “Seems fine.” LJ’s booming voice sounded from the front of the stage. “Start from the top. Nathan, get your act together.” He nodded as a scorch of flames flashed up the back of his neck. He

turned his back to the empty arena and took a few breaths. Trevin nodded to him and Nathan nodded back. The band started up again and they did it all over. This time Nathan sang when he was supposed to, though his vocals could’ve been better. Nerves after being scolded in front of Abby had him thinking too much. And thinking too much meant he second guessed himself and didn’t take risks. And not taking risks meant he sounded like every other cookie cutter male vocalist. After everything checked out, Miles

brought Abby out on stage and handed her his mike. “Sing your version of ‘The One’ for me? The mike’s set up to my vocals, but it should be fine.” Abby’s eyes widened. She looked as if she were two seconds away from a car accident. Her gaze swung around to the sidelines and all the other nooks and crannies of the stage before it fell back on Miles. “Are you sure? I don’t want to hold everyone up.” “No, it’ll be brilliant. I kind of had this idea that maybe we could bring you out for ‘The One.’ You could start it your

way and then we could transition it into ours for the end. What do you guys think?” Miles, the ever-optimistic Brit, peered around with a smile. Everyone nodded and agreed except Ryder and Nathan. It was Ryder’s baby after all, and Nathan wasn’t sure he’d be able to lose himself in the music with Abby on stage right next to him. He could barely handle it when she was standing on the sidelines fifteen feet away from him. Eventually, Ryder agreed and Nathan had no ground to stand on other than he

just didn’t feel like doing it, which would play out as well as it had when he hadn’t wanted to vote on hiring Abby earlier. So he begrudgingly said, “Sure.” “Brilliant.” Miles looked at the drummer. “Start it out at about half time, right Abby?” She nodded, her fingers turning white from the grip on Miles’s microphone. The former heartthrob didn’t seem to notice. “Then we’ll transition it into full speed by the end. It’ll be cool. We’ll play off each other.” Nathan walked by Abby to take his

place on stage. Her hand shook. Before he could stop himself, he touched her shoulder. “It’ll be fine. Just have fun.” She gazed up at him gratefully and then squared her shoulders as Trevin placed her in front center. The band played the opening notes and Justin ran out with another mike for Abby so Miles could have his back. Abby sang right on cue and her pitch was dead on. After a few moments, the band and the rest of the guys got into the rhythm and backed her up. By the middle, the song was in full force

Seconds to Juliet mode and Abby had no trouble catching up either. When the drummer hit the last cymbal, they all smiled. “That was awesome,” Will said. “We should start that tonight.” “One thing,” Trevin said. “Abby’s got to move around on stage more. We were running circles around her.” She cleared her throat, her face ashen white, and she mumbled something. They all had to move closer to hear her. “What’d you say?” Miles asked. She rolled her eyes. “I get stage

fright.” “Oh. From the way you sang at the audition, I had no idea. You’ll get used to it,” he assured her. Ryder leaned lazily with his hand draped over his guitar. “How many shows have you done?” She drew in, making herself smaller. “A few small shows. Nothing like this.” Miles looked at Trevin. Trevin looked at Ryder. Seeing his scowl, Trevin turned toward Abby. “Maybe we shouldn’t start you out on ‘The One’ tonight. You should work on your stage

presence with someone.” They all nodded and glanced at each other. “I’m scheduled up to the rafters, mates,” Miles said. “Every spare moment I have, I chat with Aimee as much as I can.” “Ditto,” Ryder said. “I chat up Aimee, too.” “Oh, bugger off.” Trevin eyed Nathan and Will. “Normally I’d volunteer, but I’m in the same boat as those two.” “If you say you chat up Aimee, too…” “No, I like to be with Daisy as much

as I can with our full schedules. Sorry, Abby, I really don’t have time to work with you on this.” That left Will and Nathan. Will wasn’t ready to take on a new responsibility, so it really only left Nathan. He knew it. They all knew it. He sighed. This was going to suck. Abby smiled at him. Or maybe not. He’d played in front of sold out stadiums. Surely he could keep his attraction to her in check long enough to help her.

“I’ll do it,” he said. “Really?” Abby asked, her voice high and laced with doubt. “Yeah. I’ll do it.” He grimaced under the weight of his bandmate’s stares. What if they saw right through his act? He shrugged, feigning indifference. “What? She needs work, so I’ll work with her.” Trevin shot Nathan a look then put his hand on Abby’s shoulder. “Your singing is beautiful. We just have to work on your swagger, that’s all.” “How’s Nathan going to teach

swagger?” Ryder jumped in with a cocky smile. “Do you want to do it?” Nathan snapped. Ryder smirked and held his hands up. “She’s all yours, little brother.” As soon as they planned everything out, LJ herded them to the interview room. He waved all the others past, including Abby, and waited to walk alongside Nathan. Wonderful. He was about to get an earful. What happened to the good mood manager from earlier?

LJ combed over the few strands of hair he had left on his balding head. “There’s nothing attractive about screwing up, son. The solo in ‘The One’ is your time to shine. That’s the moment all of your adoring fans are waiting for. You standing there mute isn’t sexy.” Nathan nodded as he focused on Abby walking in front of him. She glanced into every room they passed then hurried up behind Trevin every time she fell behind. LJ’s voice cut into his pre-occupied brain. “Are you sick?”

“No.” He pulled Nathan to a stop and eyed him. “Then don’t let it happen again.” “No problem.” Lester freaking poppycock. Ugh, God. He’d somehow channeled Miles.

Chapter Seven ABBY efore Nathan escaped into the interview room, Abby grabbed his wrist. “Can we talk?” He gazed wistfully into the room where reporters already sat with their

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fingers poised over record buttons. “I’ve got a couple of minutes, but LJ really hates when we don’t show up on time.” The urge to roll her eyes was something fierce. The guys were all taking ten. He was the one making a beeline for the interview room just to avoid her. She’d gotten the message loud and clear from LJ earlier, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t talk at all, did it? Or that he needed to avoid her. “You don’t have to help me if it bothers you, you know. I’ve got a manager who can figure this stuff out. I’m sure she already has a

plan, so I don’t need to be your charity case.” His eyes softened. “It’s not that, Abby. I really do want to help you.” She didn’t believe him. Due to the sour look plastered on his face every time she stared at him, she was positive he wanted to do anything but help her. Two roadies walked by with a wrap of cords hiked up on their shoulders. Nathan glanced both ways and then pulled her into a small, dead end hallway a couple down from the interview room.

“You heard LJ earlier. We can’t be anything…anything more than friends or he’ll fire you. He definitely can’t find out that we kissed last night. He’d still fire you for that alone, and I’d get in so much trouble. I don’t know if you’ve read the tabloids recently, but I’m supposed to be Seconds to Juliet’s most eligible bachelor right now. I can’t be a bachelor and get caught kissing.” She narrowed her eyes. “So you don’t hate me?” “No,” he said emphatically. “I don’t hate you.”

She gazed at her feet. It hadn’t crossed her mind that he might be pretending to save both of them. She should’ve known he’d felt the same connection she had last night. “I’m sorry.” Nathan tipped her chin up. “It’s not your fault, and I’m probably being more standoff-ish than I should be, but if LJ finds out, we’re both screwed.” As if to prove his point, Nathan looked at the mouth of the hallway. No one had noticed they were gone and alone together yet, which was apparently a very good thing. From what little Abby

had seen of LJ, she knew she should take his threats seriously. Especially if Nathan was so worried about it. “I get it,” Abby said finally. “I do.” She toyed with her lip. “But this is all new to me and I’m kind of freaking out. It would be nice to have someone I could talk to about it. Kind of like we did last night…” Nathan leaned against the opposite wall and ran a hand through his hair. “I’d like that, too. I’m sorry I’ve been a jerk. I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m having a war every time you’re around,

because I so want to continue where we were headed last night, but both of us can’t afford that right now.” Abby’s stomach sank. It’d been stupid to think Nathan would help her through this, or anyone for that matter. Her mother wasn’t around, and Reeta was all about the business side of things. It wasn’t as if she had the soft hand Abby was craving right now anyway. “It’s okay.” Nathan reached for her hand then stopped, clasping his own tightly in front of him. “But this isn’t me. You know

that, right? I can’t say or act how I want to because I’m afraid everyone will see right through me. But just watching you look at me like that makes me want to put everything into getting to know you.” Abby stilled as Nathan reached for her again. His fingers slowly moved closer until they just barely grazed the skin along her cheekbone. He slid his hands into her hair and searched her face. Abby swallowed, her heart racing. With a long exhale, Nathan Strong curled her hair around her ear and dropped his hands to his sides again.

Abby drew in a shaky breath. Nathan really was the genuine, amazing guy she thought he was last night. And there was no denying he wanted to kiss her. Abby laid her hand on her chest, feeling the thump, thump of her heart. She took another deep breath to try to steady it. “So, LJ seems to be particularly interested in you. You can’t get caught kissing, but all the other guys have girlfriends. What’s up with that?” Nathan’s fingers curled into a fist. “LJ says public interest in the band is down because the guys have girlfriends. He’s

setting me up on publicity dates to attract more S2J fans, and therefore, I need to stay somewhat available.” “Publicity dates?” Abby’s frowned. “What, like fake dates?” Nathan shrugged. “Kind of. I was on one last night before I ran into you. Now, according to LJ, this fake date is going to turn into two fake dates.” Abby leaned against the wall across from him. “Wow. People actually set these things up? For marketing?” Nathan shrugged. “LJ said that’s how Taylor Swift and Harry Styles first got

together, and if it worked for Harry and One Direction, it can work for Seconds to Juliet.” Abby gasped. “No! Haylor? Are you sure?” He smiled. “PR people do it because we get invested in celebrity relationships for whatever reason. LJ, the band, the fans even, they’re all counting on me whether they know it or not.” Though kind of despicable, it was smart of LJ to play the dating angle with Nathan. If he didn’t date, or was in a

serious relationship, fans would have no hope. Just the fact that he was out and about around town gave them all a little bit of hope. It had for her. If she thought about it, getting together with Nathan during the beginning of her career wouldn’t be the smartest decision. She needed to concentrate, and not to mention the fact that if she took the last eligible S2J member off the market, she’d get hate mail for sure. Probably not a good way to introduce a new artist into the world. Despite the fact that it was a terrible

idea, she couldn’t fight the fact she wanted it anyway. And the way he looked at her made her think he didn’t want to fight it, either. She reached out and trailed a finger from Nathan’s wrist to his thumb, expertly stopping him from saying whatever he was about to say. He closed his eyes. “You’re making this extremely hard.” She licked her lips. Her mouth went dry as the words crowded on her tongue. She just had to summon the courage to say it. “I think I’m trying to make it hard.

At least this once.” “This is dumb.” “I agree.” He leaned toward her, and she stepped back until she bumped into the wall. He placed his palms on either side of her shoulders, capturing her between his intense gaze and the understanding that they shouldn’t be doing this. Just when Abby thought his lips were going to meet hers, he glided his cheek along her own and placed a soft kiss next to her ear. His breath tickled her skin as shots of nerves and pleasure

engulfed her body. “I really have to go to this interview,” Nathan whispered. “LJ will think it’s weird I’m not there early.” Unable to say anything coherent at the moment, Abby nodded. If only he wasn’t Nathan of S2J—this could’ve been so much easier. He backed up until he hit the opposite wall. After a moment, his lips quirked. “Okay. I need to pull myself together. I’m about to give an interview in front of blood-thirsty reporters, and I can’t be thinking about you while I do it.”

Abby ran her hands down her face. “Are they really that bad?” Nathan gave her a look. Heh. Right. “You’re going to do great.” He smiled. “Is this you giving me a pep talk?” Before she could respond, footsteps sounded in the hallway next to them. Nathan jumped and turned away. He didn’t say good-bye as he strode down the hallway. She slid to the floor with a thump. It was too bad Nathan Strong was off-

limits. Everything inside her wanted to chase after him, but she stayed put on the floor, hoping her heart could forget him.

Chapter Eight NATHAN tupid, stupid, stupid. Nathan tried to push down the feelings that spurred in his chest. Way, way down. Anyone could’ve walked down that hallway and seen them.

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It didn’t matter that he felt like he could talk to Abby about anything, or that she was pretty much the coolest girl he’d met in, well, forever. She was still untouchable like every other girl LJ didn’t set him up with. He let his mind wander to their kiss again anyway, because he apparently loved torturing himself. Her soft lips, skin, everything. The way her eyes lit and her breath hitched. The flush of her cheeks and shyness in her smile… And now he’d gone and not only volunteered himself to work one-on-one

with her but also pretty much told her he wanted her. But they couldn’t be together. This was masochism at its best. A hand waved in front of his face— Trevin’s. “You there?” Nathan pushed his hand aside then pointed at the reporters where there was a middle-aged brunette with a short bob haircut smiling at him. He smiled, too, on autopilot now. “Sorry. My mind was somewhere else for a minute.” The reporter’s eyes zeroed in on him. “Thinking about a pretty girl?”

Nathan saw Abby slip into the room and head toward the back. Trevin stood and made his way over to her. He figured he might as well lay the off-limits groundwork now, whether he truly meant it or not. Sure, he’d been thinking about Abby, but he couldn’t say that. It would be career suicide. The label wanted him to flirt, so he would. “I’m thinking about thousands of pretty girls right now, and I can’t wait to perform for them tonight.” The reporter actually fanned herself, which made Nathan smile wider. Maybe

he was getting better at all this smooth talking stuff. “Aren’t you going to make Marissa jealous by talking like that? Word is she’s taken with you.” Nathan’s chest tightened. He smiled like LJ had taught him to do when he didn’t know what he should say then scanned the room for his manager. He found him in the back corner. LJ smiled and mouthed, Play it up. Nathan glanced at the table and pretended to be embarrassed. Words —nice words, at least—when he thought

about Marissa wouldn’t come to him. He couldn’t tell everyone he thought she was boring and self-obsessed. Where was the love story in that? That wouldn’t work. But if the reporter was asking about Abby…he could pretend for the sake of playing up this fake relationship with Marissa. He looked up again and caught the reporter’s eye. “She’s something else, isn’t she?” That’s all it took—twenty hands shot in the air. Nathan answered their questions about Marissa/Abby as best he

could. He must have done something right because eventually the sharks calmed down. A female reporter in the back stood. “That’s all great, Nathan, but I’m sure your fans want to know if you’d ever date one of them?” It wasn’t the most original of questions. In fact, one of them had to answer it at least once a night—even the guys who were most definitely taken. Even when Nathan had just been glowing about another girl. But the reporters knew what sold magazines,

newspapers, and subscriptions to their sites—the dream. LJ had drilled that into his head. Nathan had to sell the dream. The question reminded him of the letter he’d read earlier and he grasped onto an idea. “It’s funny you should ask that. I read a fan letter earlier today and she asked me the exact same question.” Nathan searched the room for a video camera. He found one to the left and stared straight into the lens. “Carrie, I can’t wait to see you at the show in DC. I want to let you know, and every other girl out there wondering, I would most

definitely date a fan.” He winked. “It doesn’t have to be our little secret.” The same reporter gazed down the line at the rest of the guys, her mouth open as if she were about to ask one of them a question, but she returned to Nathan instead. “Are you saying things won’t work out between you and Marissa?” “No, I’m not. I think it’s safe to say Marissa is a big fan of Seconds to Juliet, too, so yeah, I would date a fan. I’m doing it now.” He winked at the reporter, and she sat

with a satisfied smile. As the interview room supervisor announced they were going to wrap up, Trevin brought Abby behind the table with the rest of them. Cheeks flushed, she fidgeted with her dress. She hid her hands under the table when she sat, but it sure looked to Nathan like they were shaking. This had been some day for her. Trevin stood behind Abby’s chair. “If we’re done grilling Nathan about his love life, I’d like to introduce you guys to Abby Curtis. She’s going to be opening for us for the rest of the tour.

Look up some of her videos on YouTube. You’ll be glad you did.” It was like throwing a puppy into a kindergarten class. The press was all over her, launching questions at her one after the other. She held up pretty well. LJ was right. She’d be America’s darling in no time. At least, she was holding up fine until her eyes widened and her skin turned pale. Nathan blinked—what had the reporter asked? He hadn’t been paying attention. “Right now?” she asked.

Nathan gazed out into the sea of reporters again. One of the only men in the room stood. “Yeah, right now. Will you sing for us?” Nathan glanced at Abby. Her hands were fists on her thighs and one knee bounced madly. She’d told the guys she had a little bit of stage fright and she wasn’t kidding. If no one helped her, she’d probably start hyperventilating. Nathan grabbed the mike in front of him and started singing “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.” Abby’s head whipped around and,

slowly, the terror on her face melted away. By the time Nathan got to the chorus, she sang along with him. Wow. She really did sound beautiful. Her voice dipped and rose in the most unusual places to create her own unique style. They locked gazes and Nathan’s heart slammed in his chest. He cursed himself for wanting to save her. It was torture. Before long, the guys got into it, too. Miles, Trevin, and Will started swinging their arms in the air to the beat and backed up their lead vocals. Ryder sat in

silence until they got to the rocked up part. Then Ryder stood and belted out the next lines. Nathan, along with every single reporter, burst out laughing. Mia had really chilled him out. He couldn’t picture Ryder doing that before. He’d been so moody. After the bad boy finished his impromptu verse, Abby sang solo for the last few lines. As her voice faded into the room, everyone stood and clapped. Miles pulled his mike closer. “Hey, we should do that more often, mates.

That was brilliant.” Afterward, about five reporters stood at the same time, but before they could get their questions out, LJ walked to the front of the room and called it quits. S2J had to get back to work. As they shuffled out, Nathan in the rear, their manager squeezed his shoulder. “Excellent job, Nathan. You even had the male reporters swooning out there. That’s exactly what we need to see. Guarantee you your little talk into the camera is already posted on the net and getting views. That Casey girl is

probably crying her eyes out.” “Carrie.” LJ’s eyebrows drew in. “Huh?” “The fan’s name is Carrie.” He shooed him away. “Yeah, yeah. It was fantastic. I couldn’t be happier about it. And then you saved Abby, which was perfect, by the way. Now you’re not only sexy, but you’re sensitive, too. Girls eat that up.” An uneasy feeling curled into Nathan’s stomach. He hadn’t sung to make himself look good—he’d just wanted to take the focus off Abby. But there was no way

he’d admit that to LJ. He seemed so stoked about the press conference that Nathan’s earlier sound check screw up was forgotten for now. It felt good to be the reason for one of LJ’s good moods again. He was on that high for about five seconds until Will slapped him on the back. “Nice one, man. Weren’t you worried she wouldn’t know the words to the song, though?” Nathan squeezed his eyes closed and swallowed. “What?” Will gave him a weird look. “That

song. It’s old. Weren’t you worried Abby wouldn’t know the lyrics?” He should’ve been, but he wasn’t— not after dancing with her on the pier. Nathan breathed out the tension rising inside him. Pretending not to like Abby was proving harder than he imagined, and he already knew it would be difficult. He just needed to stay neutral. “It’s an iconic song. Figured anyone who loved music would know it.”

Chapter Nine ABBY ill had just found Abby a quiet nook to sit in to the side of the stage while the guys went to the meet and greet when her recently returned cell phone rang. It was her mother.

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Abby couldn’t contain her excitement. “Mom!” For a few seconds, there was no sound, just dead air. “Mom?” A choking sound came from the other end. Abby’s eyes moistened. “Mo-om, are you crying?” She could almost hear the rustle on the other end of her mother shaking her head like a big fat liar. After a few seconds, there was a large breath and then, “No.” Abby smiled. “Yeah right.”

A half choke, half laugh sound had her giggling. “Yes, I was lying. So?” “Did you watch my audition? Reeta said she recorded it for you.” “Why do you think I’m crying? I’ve never heard you sing that song before. You should have Reeta put that up on your YouTV channel thing. It was absolutely stunning, honey. I think it was the best you’ve ever sounded.” Abby smiled at her mom’s technologically challenged brain. “Aw, Mom. Really?”

“It got you the job, didn’t it?” The excitement in her mom’s voice built. “So, tell me everything. Does Miles really have an accent? Are they just as cute in person? Spill!” “It’s unbelievable. And yes, they’re all totally gorgeous.” Just then, Ryder slipped by, his eyebrow raised. “Sorry, sweetie. I’m taken.” Abby rolled her eyes. “I’m talking to my mom.” Ryder shrugged and kept going. Abby’s initial impressions of the real

Ryder were spot on to the Ryder she saw in interviews. Things just didn’t faze him. She wondered if he was even listening half the time. “Who was that?” “Ryder,” Abby whispered because he was still within earshot. Mom gasped. “Is he all devil-maycare like he seems on TV?” “You have no idea. He’s definitely a ‘what you see is what you get’ kind of person.” Through the same way Ryder just exited, Reeta came in and motioned for

Abby to wrap it up. “Hold on, Mom. Reeta needs me.” Abby pulled the phone away and looked to her manager who’d pulled her hair back into a sleek, professional pony tail. Reeta pointed toward the doorway. “The guys are getting ready. I think you should see how that works and then I got the perfect place for you to watch the show from.” Abby brought the phone back to her ear. “Mom, I gotta go. The guys are getting ready backstage. It’s something I

should see.” “Oh…okay.” A pang of guilt hit Abby hard in the chest. “I’m sorry. I’ll call you tomorrow.” “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Have fun. Learn lots. I love you, and I’m so, so proud of you.” Abby willed the heat prickling her eyes away. “Love you, too.” She hung up, stood, and gathered herself. After forcing thoughts of her mother out of her head, she followed Reeta down a few different hallways

and then they walked into a larger room made up much like a small living room. The guys were all there goofing off. Nathan took a picture of Miles and Trevin in simultaneous headlocks, and Will hovered over Ryder as he picked at his guitar strings. Ryder glanced up when they entered. His gaze moved over them and settled on Abby. He nodded toward Reeta. “Who’s your friend?” “My manager, Reeta.” Ryder looked her up and down. “I’m not trying to be an asshole or anything

but we try and keep it low key back here.” Reeta nodded. “I was just making sure Abby found your greenroom okay. I’ll leave you guys to it.” With that, she walked away. Abby’s mouth dropped. WTF? Trevin laughed. “Yeah. Ryder gets away with that kind of stuff all the time.” Ryder continued to strum away on the guitar as if he wasn’t the topic of conversation. Abby was just glad he hadn’t blabbed that she’d called them all gorgeous yet. Just thinking about it made

her cheeks warm. Especially when she glanced at Nathan. Dressed for the show in a pair of jeans and a plain white tee, he was unbelievably hot. He looked up to catch her staring and he smiled. He motioned Trevin toward her. “Pic for the fans?” Trevin threw his arm around Abby. Nathan took the picture then showed it to them. It was cute—at least, Trevin was. He was always just as confident as he seemed on TV. She looked small next to him, out of place and stiff. “It’s a shame how freaking good-

looking I am,” Trevin said. Abby giggled into her hand, and Nathan shook his head as his fingers flew over his phone’s screen. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I like to post pics on Twitter for the fans.” Abby smiled—she’d seen more than a few of their pics herself when their tour first started, dreaming about touring herself one day. Now she was here. She couldn’t believe it. Nathan elbowed her arm. “Hey. You okay?”

Abby nodded, her throat thickening with emotion. “I’m one hundred percent okay. Thanks.” The time backstage whizzed by, and soon the guys left to take their spots under the stage where they would pop out. Abby hurried to find Reeta so she wouldn’t miss it. She ended up just off the stage, tucked away on the side near some equipment that security had let Reeta and her sit on. Lights all around the stadium shut off. Excitement teased her belly. The crowd noise spiked into a constant roar and

Abby turned to find thousands and thousands of colored glow sticks waving in the darkness. Her heart thudded in her chest. How were the guys feeling right now? Could they see the crowd? Were they used to it? She wasn’t sure she could ever get used to something like this. Energy poured through everyone and radiated down toward the stage. One by one, five spotlights turned on, and with each one Abby swore the crowd got impossibly louder. Reeta searched through her bag,

pulled out a plastic sleeve of earplugs, and offered them to her. Abby shook her head. No way. She wanted to experience every last bit of this. She took out her cell and snapped a picture of the empty stage—the moment before the storm. Anticipation gathered until the roar of the crowd hit a fevered pitch. The butterflies in her stomach were on high alert, and then finally, the guys popped up from the stage and all out mayhem ensued. She thought it was loud before; now it was deafening.

Abby stood and clapped wildly like a true S2J fan. Nathan lifted his head and found her. They smiled at each other, and then the backup band started playing and S2J jumped into “Kiss This.” Nathan danced over the stage, interacting with the fans, waving, smiling, and catching their teddy bears. He was a pro. For someone as young as he was, he seemed so grown up, like he’d done this a hundred million times. She couldn’t help the wave of emotion flowing through her. She’d freaking kissed Nathan Strong. Holy crap. There

were thousands of girls in this arena alone that would kill to have been her yesterday. And look at him! He was amazing. She’d always loved that he was so young and living his dream, but seeing it with her own eyes took it to a whole other level. And to think she would have the same chances as Nathan? Gratitude thrummed inside her. Between songs, the guys played to the crowd and spoke to one another. They made it an experience. They didn’t just sing, they talked about the songs and the

crowd, they included them in their inside jokes. It was fantastic. Too soon, the concert wound down. Water rained from the ceiling and the guys sang WET. The crowd went nuts, and no wonder. Five seriously hot guys singing and dancing with wet shirts? What could be better? And then Nathan tore his shirt off at the end of the song. Abby went still. She couldn’t even scream her head off like the rest of the crowd. All she saw was abs. Wet,

glistening abs. Life made. If only she were just a fan in the crowd and not touring with them, she might actually think she’d have a chance with Nathan Strong.

Chapter Ten NATHAN ripping wet and high off the crowd, Nathan searched for Abby as Beau ushered S2J from the stage to the car that would take them to their hotel. They were in New Jersey for one

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more night, a nice—and rare— occurrence on this tour. He began watching for her just as the show ended and hadn’t been able to spot her yet, even though he’d seen her while he was performing. Somehow, he’d lost her in the mad rush of the water falling and being herded like sheep through the bustling hallways of the stadium. He had to see her, he needed to ask what she thought of S2J’s performance. Who was he kidding? He was dying to know what she thought of his performance.

Were they staying at the same boughtout hotel now that she’d become their new opening act? If they were, maybe he’d find her once they settled in for the night. But a reality check burrowed into his head. Yes, he wanted to see her at the hotel —but not just to ask her about the show. He couldn’t do that, though. They had to just be friends. Nothing else. Ryder flicked Nathan’s ear. “I thought it was my turn to tear my shirt off.” Nathan slapped at Ryder’s hand and put on his best cocky smile. “You were

too slow, old man.” His friend’s eyes darkened. “Old man?” Trevin laughed. “If Ryder’s old, what does that make me?” Nathan shrugged. “Geriatric?” Miles came up behind Nathan as they followed the security detail to the black van outside the arena and ruffled his hair. “They’re so cute when they’re young, aren’t they?” Nathan shoved him off. Beau—in fullon security mode—shot them a look and ushered them on faster. He liked to joke

around as much as they did but not when he was “on.” He’d calm some once they got to the hotel with all five of them in one piece and no fan run-ins. Before Nathan was thrust into the van, he caught a glimpse of beautiful blond hair. He stopped short. “There’s Abby,” he said, as if everyone else were looking for her, too. Trevin stopped just behind Nathan to avoid trampling him over. “Do you think she liked the show?” Abby turned and Nathan met her gaze. The reassurance he needed was right

there—she looked positively delighted as she waved. Trevin waved back and pushed Nathan forward, but Nathan broke away from the group and jogged toward her. Beau called his name and cursed, but he didn’t care. Yes, breaking away from the group was stupid, but everything about her called to him. He stopped just in front of her and smiled. Abby’s manager stepped behind her, which spurred Nathan to finally speak. “What did you think of the show?” Her eyes shone. “You were

awesome.” Pride surged within him. His whole body lit up from the inside out. “I’m glad you liked it.” She peered behind him and frowned. “The big guy coming up behind you doesn’t look happy.” Abby’s manager sniffed. “Probably because we’re supposed to be making a quick exit to the hotel.” Nathan grinned. So they were all staying at the same place? Excellent. He waved, turned around, and jogged right by Beau’s pissy face.

Once he was seated inside S2J’s van, Trevin asked, “What’d she think?” “She loved it.” Despite his stomach twisting into knots, Nathan tried to downplay his building excitement. He pulled out his cell to distract himself and found the picture he’d taken of the eldest S2J member during the show. “Hey, Trev, I got a cool shot of your new move.” He held the screen out to his bandmate. “I’ll send it to you.” Within seconds, Trevin had Nathan tagged on Twitter with the pic of his new speaker jump. Nathan checked his other

mentions and saw a ton of pictures of tonight’s concert. He went through and favorited as many as he could during the short bus ride from the venue to the hotel. He also had a text waiting for him from his sister he hadn’t seen earlier. Jersey foods you should try: ripper (a hot dog), pizza, and submarines (subs). Good luck tonight. Nathan smiled. His sister always sent him a list of foods he should try in each city they played in. The ripper sounded interesting. He’d have to give it a shot

tomorrow and call her later tonight after he found Abby. Nathan’s hotel room was a lot like the others he’d stayed in. Gifts from fans littered the dresser and TV stand. The food he couldn’t eat within a couple of days would be donated to a food pantry, and the other gifts, like teddy bears, would be donated to Toys for Tots or the Salvation Army. He ripped open a candy package and picked out a box of Airheads—his favorite—while he searched the room for the phone.

Operation Visit Abby would go down like this: first he’d call the front desk, while pretending to be Beau, and ask which room Abby Curtis was staying in. Then it was just a matter of sneaking over there without anyone seeing him. Totally doable. Just as he grabbed the clunky hotel phone and bit into his blue raspberry Airhead, a guitar chord sounded from the hall. Miles? Trevin, maybe? No, they’d be on the phone with their girlfriends. He stuck his head into the hall where a blonde with an adorable black hat sat

huddled over a guitar. Nathan threw his opened Airhead onto the TV stand and snagged his hotel key before walking over to Abby. When he was close enough to smell her fruity perfume, she glanced up. Her eyes widened and her fingers froze over the strings. “I’m sorry.” She peered behind him down the hall. “I didn’t realize your rooms were so close. Am I bothering you guys?” Nathan slid down the wall next to her. “Not likely. It’s hard to sleep after a show. You, too?”

Abby shrugged. “I was inspired. Besides, Reeta’s passed out in there.” She started to put the guitar away, but Nathan stopped her. “Don’t. It’s fine. What are you working on?” Her cheeks flushed. “Just a little something.” “That same something that wasn’t ready for ears yet the other night?” She bit her lip and nodded. “Yes, and it’s not nearly done.” He knew the feeling. Everything he wrote never seemed good enough. He always shied away from sharing his

ideas with the guys during their writing sessions. “Do you write your own stuff a lot?” “I don’t know about ‘a lot,’ but I’m going to need to if that’s my plan for the first album. I have a few label-approved songs ready that I wrote but not enough for a whole album.” Songs Abby wrote? He’d love to get inside her head, see what she cared about, what made her her. “I’d like to hear them.” “You will.” She eyed him teasingly. “I’m opening for you guys, remember?”

How could Nathan forget? It was a blessing and a curse. Abby unhooked her guitar strap and laid the guitar across her outstretched legs. “I mean, if you’re around to watch my show you will.” “Of course I’ll watch your show.” Once he’d said the words, he didn’t even know if it were possible to keep that promise. He never watched Cherry’s shows—S2J was getting ready in the back when they were on. He probably didn’t even have time to watch her show now that he thought about it.

He rubbed the back of his neck and she fidgeted beside him. Nathan gestured at the guitar. “Do you play other instruments?” “My mom had me in piano for a long time, so yes, but I prefer not to. I fell in love with the guitar ever since I picked one up for the first time.” Her fingers played over the strings. “You?” “I’ve always concentrated on singing. Trevin and Ryder play the guitar. Miles does, too, but he’s started to play around on the piano. I’m pretty sure Aimee had something to do with that. You probably

noticed I play the drums during ‘Rock You.’ I’ve got a drum tutor so I’m trying to pick that up, but vocals will always be my main thing. I’ve been singing since I was”—his eyebrows rose—“I don’t know. Really young.” Abby leaned her head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for saving me back at the interviews there. I never thought they would ask me to sing in front of everyone.” Nathan chuckled. “I think everyone got into it. It was fun.”

Her face turned toward his. “Well, it is a good song.” His stare roamed over her face. After a while, he rested his head against the wall, his gaze falling to her lips. “It’s a great song.” She swallowed. “Fantastic song.” It didn’t take long for him to get lost in her. He heard nothing, saw nothing but her. He could get so lost in her he wouldn’t even notice if someone walked up next to them. He couldn’t have that. Nathan jumped up and held his hand

out. “Come with me for a sec?” They clasped hands and he helped her up. He glanced both ways down the hall as they walked toward his room. After unlocking the door, he pulled her in behind him. They stared at each other. Then Nathan slowly backed her up until she pressed against the other side of the door. Abby searched his face. “Please tell me you’re going to kiss me this time.” Nathan’s breath caught. Her eyes swam with a kaleidoscope of emotions. Ones that made his stomach tighten in

anticipation. Behind her, he twisted the lock and slid the locking chain into place to keep them hidden away from everyone. “You want me to kiss you?” he asked. Please say yes. Just this once, please say yes. She nodded and Nathan didn’t waste any of their precious time together. His lips pressed into hers as he ran his hands through her hair, down her arms, and paused on her hips. She melted into him. He couldn’t believe he’d waited this long to kiss her again. Her warmth

spread over his skin to the tips of each of his fingers and toes, and even though they were in an unfamiliar hotel room surrounded by objects he didn’t care about, he felt full. Whole, almost. As if he were just arriving home after a six month long tour, his body dead with exhaustion, and yet, that first glimpse of his house filled him to the core with home. When Abby pulled away, her shoulders heaving, a thrill shot through him. He slipped a stray strand of hair around her ear. “I could get used to this.”

“God yes.” He squeezed her fingers. Noticing an area of tough, hard skin on her fingertips, he flipped her hand palm up and traced the outline. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held on more firmly. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “They’re calluses.” She shook her head, her cheeks blushing. “I’ve started to use a pick. When I remember, anyway.” He smiled, unsure why she was embarrassed by them. They were nothing

but proof of her hard work. She slipped her hand from his grasp and looked around the room. Her gaze landed on the baskets littering his dresser and her eyebrows raised. “Is it always like this?” she asked, gesturing toward his candy and teddy bear stash. He rubbed the back of his neck. Abby was clearly impressed by his gift haul, which somehow made him feel like a self-important snob. “Whatever we don’t take or use is given away.” Abby leaned over the candy bag he’d opened earlier and peered inside. A

smile lit her face as her fingers picked through SweeTARTS, Skittles, Smarties and even more Airheads. “Have as much as you want,” he offered. “I shouldn’t. I’ll be up for days.” Her gaze skipped around on the dresser until it landed on a brown teddy bear wearing red boxers with tiny pink hearts all over them. She picked it up, and when she ran her hand over its head, it started to sing “Kiss This.” She whirled, her eyebrows high and eyes twinkling.

“That’s pretty dang cute,” he admitted. “I. Love. It.” “Our fans are very creative,” he said sheepishly. The bear stopped singing, so she set it back on the dresser. “So, is this what you do after a show? I figured you guys all hung out afterward.” “We used to,” Nathan said. “By the middle of a tour, I think we’re all ready to have our own time, though.” “Oh, well, I can…” She motioned toward the door. Nathan moved between her and the

exit. “No. I want you to stay.” With a slow, graceful step, she walked toward him. “I’m fine with that.” He was even better than fine with that. Especially when Abby looked at him with those piercing, expectant eyes. She reached her fingers out to trace the skin from his hand to his elbows, and he closed his eyes, relishing in her touch. Soft lips pressing a kiss to his chin stunned him. His eyes flew open, and as soon as his gaze locked on Abby’s, he bent for another kiss. This one was shorter and sweeter than the last, but no

less perfect. Nathan wanted to try every kind of kiss with Abby. The long, passion-filled ones he saw on TV and that pulled in his gut to try now, and the sweet ones he remembered his grandparents sharing when he was younger. Nathan and Abby stared at each other, faces eaten up with shared smiles. He couldn’t help but think they must’ve looked like crazed kids drunk on a potent love potion, or cartoon characters with hearts springing from their eyes. “We shouldn’t be doing this,” she

whispered. “I know.” He pulled her toward the bed and scooched to the middle, his back against the headboard. He patted the bed next to him, urging her over. She nestled into his arms and placed her head on his shoulder. After a few moments pause, she asked, “I’ve been dying to ask, are you writing songs for the third album yet?” Nathan laughed and stroked her hair. “Yeah. It feels different than last time, though. This time we’re writing the

album while we’re on the road. For the other two, we always wrote and recorded in a studio.” “Do you like it this way?” He actually did. People might think it would be a jumbled mess touring and writing, but it was working for them. “There’s less pressure. We didn’t book studio time, so we don’t have to worry about wasting everyone’s time and money if we don’t write and record when we’re supposed to. I think it’s more…organic in a way, too. Tiring but less stressful. Creativity can’t come on

demand, you know?” Abby nodded. “I can’t wait to record my first album. I want people to hear my stories.” His face softened. “That’s why I like it better we’re doing so much more writing together for this album. Sometimes it’s hard to connect to songs given to you to record. They’re never completely yours unless you had a hand in writing them. It’d be like Stephen King transcribing someone else’s book.” Abby’s eyes lit up. “Exactly.” He squeezed her. “Tell me about your

songs. The ones you’ve already written.” Nathan smiled as she ran down the list of songs she’d written, adding in extra bits of information like a Behind the Music episode. She confessed how much she loved old eighties and nineties tunes and that for every Taylor Swift track she had dozens of Cyndi Lauper and Pat Benatar. She blamed it on her mom, but her passion for music oozed through her every word. At one point, goose bumps sprouted on her arms as she spoke. He rubbed her forearms to help them go away, but he only made it

worse. She poked him in the side. “How about you? You must like older music, too.” “I just like good music. Doesn’t matter what era or genre. People get caught up in labels, but I’ll listen to anything as long as it makes me feel something.” Smiling, she nodded. “Exactly. I’m pretty sure Otis Redding is going to make its way onto my iPod when I get home.” Mention of that song filled him with longing. He tilted her chin and pressed

his lips to hers. They were so sweet he didn’t think he’d need any of that fruity candy he liked anymore. Abby would be enough. She sat up straight and wound her arms around him. He took his time exploring her, both of them only coming up for air when absolutely necessary. Of all the post-concert nights Nathan had ever had, this was the best. Until a knock sounded at the door.

Chapter Eleven NATHAN e jumped back and Abby’s eyes widened. He put a finger to his mouth to signal for her to be quiet. The knock came again but louder this time. “What should I do?” she mouthed.

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Nathan wanted to yell at whoever it was to leave them alone. Instead, he took Abby by the hand and led her into the bathroom. Before he closed the door with her safely on the other side, he smiled apologetically. She slid her hands through her hair and grabbed the back of her neck—she was freaked. A key slid in the lock. Nathan walked toward the door just as it banged opened and caught on the chain lock. LJ’s voice wafted in. “What the hell?” Nathan’s heart raced as he silently prayed Abby stayed in the bathroom to

keep LJ clueless to what he’d just been doing. He ran his hands through his hair. “Coming. Hold on.” Nathan slid the lock free and opened the door the rest of the way. “Hey, LJ. What’s up?” LJ shot him a weird look. Damn. Too peppy. “Why’s your emergency lock on? You know we bought out the entire hotel. There’s no need for that.” Nathan tried to play it cool. “Habit,” he lied. “I always put it on no matter what.”

LJ glanced around the room. “I knocked. Where were you?” “Bathroom,” Nathan said. Then he cursed at himself. Why was he bringing more attention to the bathroom? He kept his eyes trained on his manager so he wouldn’t sneak a glance at Abby’s hiding place. “So, what’d you want?” LJ smiled his shady, shark-like smile. “Just wanted to come by and say apart from sound check, I liked what I saw today. You’re really maturing, Nathan, and you’re stepping up when the band needs you the most.”

He nodded. “I’d do anything for Seconds to Juliet. You know that.” “I think the big boss is starting to realize it, too. He caught your speech to the camera earlier and called me up to say it was great, so I thought I’d pass it on.” LJ grabbed Nathan’s shoulders. “Good work, son. We’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow, too. I got in touch with Marissa’s camp and worked out a deal with them.” He swallowed. “A deal?” LJ walked toward Nathan’s gift basket and rummaged through the contents.

“You bet. Here’s the deal: you guys date a couple more times, then there’ll be a very public breakup in which poor Nathan gets his heart broken to pieces.” LJ laughed and chose a pack of Sour Patch Kids. “I can see the headlines now. Depressed Nathan Turns to Music to Get Himself Back on Track. It’s pure genius, kid.” “And Marissa agreed to this? Why would she want to be the one that broke my heart?” “We’re playing all angles. Marissa’s up for a movie role that the director

thinks she’s too squeaky clean for. If she dumps you, it’ll bring her a little edge and her team thinks she’ll be a shoo-in. We help her, she helps us. You know how it works.” “I don’t know…” LJ scratched his balding head. “Did I tell you? When we get into New York, Ellen DeGeneres is taping a couple of special episodes there and we got her to have just you on. It’ll be a fantastic solo interview, great stuff for us.” An odd, out of place feeling hit Nathan in the chest. Something wasn’t right—

since when did he do solo interviews? “What about the guys?” LJ straightened, looking flustered all of a sudden. “The guys want some downtime in New York to spend with their girls. And besides, this is a great opportunity for you.” He tossed his Sour Patch Kids up then snatched them right out of the air again. “But anyway, you should think about getting to bed soon. You’ve got a breakfast date with Marissa in the morning and we want that face fresh for the adoring fans, right?” Nathan smiled to keep LJ happy, but

his stomach sank at the mention of Marissa again. A breakfast date? Tomorrow? On the way out, LJ turned and said, “Don’t forget to put that lock back on the door, kid. Don’t want anything to happen to my newest heartthrob.” LJ left laughing and Nathan made sure to follow after and lock it up just like he said. After he checked the lock for a second time, he opened the bathroom door. “Abby?” She peeked around the shower curtain. “Are they gone?”

Nathan couldn’t help but laugh at her serious expression. “You went in the shower?” “I thought that if someone came in to use the bathroom they’d see me and I was better off hiding in the shower.” Uneasiness crawled over his skin. He couldn’t believe he’d made her hide in the bathroom. What if LJ had to use the restroom while she was in there? That would’ve been messed up. “I’m so sorry.” “Don’t be.” She squeezed his hand. “So who was it?”

“LJ.” “Yikes. Glad I did hide in the shower then. Does he usually come visit you after a show?” Nathan plopped down on his bed. “No, but he wanted to tell me he set up another date with Marissa.” “Marissa Ives? That girl from that show?” Nathan shrugged. “I guess. I hear she’s the next big thing.” Abby sighed and sat next to him on the comforter with her head in her hands. “And that’s why you’re fake dating her?

Because she’s the next big thing?” Abby’s closeness and willingness to listen made Nathan want to open up, even though he probably shouldn’t. He just couldn’t help himself around her. “Kind of. We have a breakfast date in the morning.” Abby frowned. “How far are they going to take this?” Nathan rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure. LJ just said a couple of dates and then a public breakup to make everyone feel bad for me.” “Marissa’s okay with that?”

“Apparently she’s fine with it.” Abby sighed then froze. “Are the other guys really dating their girlfriends? Those weren’t publicity stunts, too, were they?” Nathan laughed at the look on her face. At that moment, she was a fan and nothing more. “They’re all for real. I doubt the guys would be able to act as much in love as they really are.” Abby turned her head to stare at him. “I think it’s great that they each found someone.” “I think it’s great that they’re actually

real.” “Hey.” Abby touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry they’re doing this to you. I wish I could do something to help. Do the rest of the guys know?” “Absolutely not. They’d never go for it, even though it’s for their own good.” “Maybe you should—” “No,” Nathan said tersely. “They’re all so happy. I’m not going to bring them down with my problems. It’s fine. I’ve got it handled.” Abby stood slowly, hands on her thighs. She walked toward her guitar by

the closet and then froze. She whirled. Her eyes shone and a bright smile lit her face. “I’ve got an idea.” Nathan braced himself as Abby ran toward the bed and threw herself back down next to him. “You like me, right?” Nathan struggled to find words. “Yeah…” “Make me Marissa.” Nathan’s brows furrowed. What did that even mean? Abby shook her head. “You don’t get it? LJ wants you to date someone so fans

can fantasize that you’re dating them, right? It doesn’t really matter the girl. He’s trying to show you off, not them. What if I were the girl? You actually like me and I actually like you.” Nathan’s mind raced. LJ did mention Marissa had fans she could bring to S2J, but hadn’t he also mentioned that about Abby? He said her sound was different than Seconds to Juliet’s. He also said they’d be helping each other out in no time. If Nathan could just spin it the right way, maybe LJ would go for it. Abby’s hand touched his shoulder.

“What do you think?” He turned toward her. “You’d be willing to do that?” “Willing to have me be the girl everyone sees you with instead of Marissa? Um, yes. More than willing. We could do things like this.” She took his hand and rubbed his palm with her thumb. “We wouldn’t have to hide away in your hotel room, and you wouldn’t have to be mean to me just so everyone thinks you don’t have feelings for me.” More hopeful than he’d been in a long time, he grabbed Abby behind the neck

and pulled her close, kissing her with all that he had. This could be it. The answer he didn’t know he’d been looking for. “What about the breakup that LJ wants to have?” Abby frowned. “I forgot about that part.” Even her frown was cute, and surely if he thought everything about her was wonderful, so would everyone else. “Maybe we can prove to LJ that we don’t have to break up. Maybe the fans, your future ones and S2J’s, will love you and me together.”

“And the no dating opening acts rule wouldn’t technically apply because we’re supposed to be fake dating.” Nathan smiled. Even LJ would be able to see the logic in that. Abby stared off into space. “Nabby,” she said wistfully. “Nabby?” She giggled. “Yes. Your name and my name together. Nabby. Do you think LJ could have the media spin it like that? You said people get invested in celebrity relationships. We’ll just have to make sure they’re doubly invested in ours.”

He touched her cheek with his finger. “I think we can do anything as long as we’re working together.” Abby smiled and burrowed her head into the crook of his shoulder. It felt so right with her tucked beside him like that. She was the most genuine thing in his life right now. If he could convince LJ, the scheme would work. He knew it. And the best part of it was, he wouldn’t have to fake it with Abby. He could just be himself. She reached past him and grabbed his iPad off the dresser. She opened his

Netflix app and searched for The Vampire Diaries. Nathan chuckled once he realized what she was doing. “Make yourself at home.” She elbowed him in the ribs. “Hey, you said you wanted to check the show out.” “I do. As long as you stay right here with me.” Abby turned and pecked him on the lips before starting her favorite show at season one, episode one. Nathan couldn’t help but think he could get use

to ending his days like this.

Chapter Twelve ABBY eeta shook Abby awake at seven thirty a.m. After peeking at the hotel alarm clock, Abby rolled over with a grunt. It wouldn’t have seemed that early except she’d stayed up late

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with Nathan watching Elena fall for Stefan all over again. “Really? Seven thirty?” Her manager smiled. “No rest for the talented. I’ve already had two important phone calls this morning.” Abby sat straight up. Her insides twisted in anticipation. It was possible Nathan had already spoken to LJ about their plan. This could be it. “A phone call?” Reeta sat at a small table and chair, drinking out of a real ceramic coffee mug. Way better than the cheap paper

mug from the hotel they’d stayed in two nights ago, before Mr. Pearl said they could stay in the hotel S2J had bought out. Talk about classy. Reeta only nodded. Trying to hold back her frustration, Abby made her voice sound casual. “Anything I should know about?” “I was just speaking with my boss’s boss. He needs me to fly back to the label. There are some very exciting things I need to work on for you.” Abby deflated fast and blew out a breath. Just because LJ hadn’t called

didn’t mean something bad. After all, it was only seven thirty in the morning. Reeta waved a hand in front of Abby’s face. “Did you hear me? I said I’m leaving today.” Abby’s heart hammered inside her chest. “You’re…going somewhere?” She tried not to freak out, but she had no clue what she was doing. Reeta told her where to go and when to eat. It was kind of nice not to think. How would she function without her? “I’ll only be a couple of days. LJ has assured me you will be well looked

after.” Abby arched an eyebrow. LJ? Since when was Reeta on a first-name basis with S2J’s manager? “Miles’s mother is on tour with Seconds to Juliet and she’s agreed to watch after you,” Reeta continued. “The label is sending you someone to stage your show and I’ll set you up with some other appointments. PR, hair and makeup, that kind of thing.” Reeta must’ve noticed the scared, lost look on Abby’s face, because she came over and sat on the bed next to her. “I’m

your manager, Abby. You won the audition, which was what we came for. Now I have to go back to the label and make sure you’re the biggest success I can make you. There are nothing but good things happening here.” Abby nodded; it was time to grow up. She’d been at sleep away camp before with no one around but a few counselors. This wouldn’t be much different. And besides, she didn’t need a babysitter. People always said she was way more mature than sixteen anyway. “When do you fly out?”

“Later this morning. I’ve made a list of everything you need to work on.” She rose, went to the desk, and handed Abby a sheet of lined notebook paper. It was a bulleted list. Work on stage fright. Write songs. Be confident. Gather up any knowledge you can from Seconds to Juliet. Work out. Work out? Abby glanced down at herself sitting cross-legged on the bed. Did she really need to exercise? “What exactly do you mean ‘work out’?” Reeta laughed. “Not in that way. You saw the show last night—Seconds to

Juliet ran all over that stage. You don’t have to be that energetic in your show but remember, you’re singing and walking or running around the stage. You’ll be out of breath before you know it. Trust me, this is the number one thing we tell new musicians before going on tour. You’ll thank me for it.” Abby rolled her eyes. Who wanted to spend their free time jogging on the treadmill? Ick. “I’ll see what I can do.” Her manager raised her eyebrows. “Trust me. You’ll need it.” At that, Abby grabbed her toiletry bag

out of her luggage and then stalked to the shower. They’d just have to see about that. It wasn’t like she was a total newb. She’d played five songs at her county fair and never once ended up out of breath. Reeta left Abby with a stack of papers when she left for her flight. One of them was her set list. Another was a very tight schedule. First up: staging. The label paid someone at the hotel to set up one of the conference rooms with a mini stage where Abby could practice and hired a professional to stage her set for

her. She pushed open the door to the conference room at ten a.m., exactly on schedule. Reeta would be proud. When the door swung closed behind her, Abby stopped. Sitting on the little stage ahead of her sat Nathan Strong. “Good morning, beautiful.” Abby’s knees went weak. Sure, he wasn’t bare chested like he was as the concert ended yesterday, or pressed up against her in those sexy sweat pants that sat just right on his hips, but there possibly wasn’t a time Nathan didn’t

look perfect. Especially his hair. It absolutely rivaled Miles’s no matter what any of those teen magazines said. But wait. Wasn’t he supposed to be on that fake date with Marissa? They’d agreed last night that Nathan should keep up the pretenses with Marissa until he had a chance to speak to LJ. If LJ felt Nathan was approaching him from a business standpoint, he would be more apt to listen to him about making Abby the one he dated. Not that she liked the idea of him

going on a date, fake or not. But the fact that he was here with her instead of there made her want to smile. “What are you doing here?” His lip curled into a grin. “Helping you, remember? Or maybe I don’t have the effect on you I thought I did.” Her cheeks heated. Oh, he definitely affected her. “That’s beside the point. You’re supposed to be on a date with Marissa, and I’m supposed to meet a staging person here. My label sent them.” He frowned and glanced at the door.

“I already had my meeting. And I’ll just help until your staging person shows up. If you don’t mind.” Meeting. Right. Whether Nathan called it a meeting or not didn’t matter. The world thought of it as a date. She didn’t like everyone thinking Nathan was dating anyone besides her. She was so drawn to him. “I don’t mind,” she answered. Abby placed her guitar case on one of the empty tables left in place and then unlatched the hinges. She slipped a pick between her lips and slid the guitar strap

around her shoulders. Nathan came up behind her. She smelled his cologne before physically feeling him there. She inhaled deeply and almost melted. The perfect blend of spicy and sweet—he smelled amazing. He spoke next to her, his words almost caressing her soft skin. “I thought about you all night…and this morning.” She pulled the pick from her mouth and started to speak, but Nathan put a hand on her shoulder, and the words fled. “Please don’t say anything,” he

whispered. “I could hardly stand sitting at that restaurant with her. There’s no comparison. I’ve never met anyone like you before, Abby. If you said the same thing right this very moment and we were anywhere else, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from kissing you. And if you said you had—” “I wouldn’t.” Nathan sighed. Energy spiked between them, and Abby wanted nothing more than to turn around and show him how much she enjoyed last night, but in the end, right now just wasn’t the time.

His voice returned to normal. “I assume you have a set list.” Abby pulled out the paper Reeta had left for her and handed it to him as if the conversation they just had never happened. “Ahh, you’re doing the song you did for the audition?” “Apparently it’s the show stopper. Reeta told me she put it on my YouTube channel last night and it already has fifty thousand views.” Was she gloating? To Nathan of all people? Abby’s face warmed and she quickly added, “I know

it doesn’t seem like much to you. Every picture you post on Twitter gets like hundreds of thousands of favorites.” “You gotta start somewhere.” Abby smiled softly. That sounded like something her mother would tell her. Did people tell Nathan he was older than his years, too? She bet they did. He was sixteen, traveling without his family, working hard. She couldn’t believe all the things the guys had to do on a day-today basis. Nathan’s brows furrowed as he read through the set list. “I don’t recognize a

couple of these song titles.” “That’s because they’re Abby Curtis originals.” “So they do exist?” “They do.” Abby changed the subject. She didn’t want to sing those songs for him right now, and singing was all people wanted her to do lately. “So, what advice do you have for me?” Nathan turned and jumped on the stage, his hands spread wide. “Number one: have fun. The crowd can tell if you’re lost, if you’re having a crappy day, if you tanked that last note. When

you’re having fun, they’ll have fun no matter what might happen up here.” Abby followed him up on stage. “Got it. What else?” Nathan ran to one side of the stage. “Don’t just stand in the middle.” He ran to the other side. “Everyone wants to feel like they’re close to you. On our stage, we also have the extension into the crowd. Make sure you go up there, too. You don’t have to do anything special. Make eye contact with the cameras, with the people in the front row. Hold out your hand to give them

five. That sort of thing.” “You make it sound so easy.” He shook his head. “It’s something you learn with experience. There’s nothing natural about standing in front of tens of thousands of people, but it gets easier.” He jumped off the stage and sat in the only chair facing her. “You’ll see. Now let me hear the first song.” Abby adjusted her guitar around her and then plucked the first few notes to her fast cover song. Nathan waved at her to stop. “Where’s your set list again?” She pointed to the table behind him

and Nathan reached back, his shirt pulling taut over his waist, a strip of bare skin showing. Abby averted her eyes to tune her guitar even though she’d already tuned it that morning. Nathan frowned as he scanned the set list. “Start with your ‘Time After Time’ cover, then go to your ‘Shake it Off’ cover. You’ll win them over with your beautiful voice and then they’ll be on your side for the more dance type song. They’ll be clapping right along with the music but if you start out with that, they might think you’re a Taylor Swift

wannabe.” That made sense. She loved Taylor Swift, but she wasn’t a clone. She had a different sound all her own. “All right.” Nathan pointed at her. “Let’s hear your Cyndi Lauper.” For the first half of the song, Nathan sat there motionless, his expression blank. By the second half, he shouted orders over her singing. “Remember, move around. Lean over the crowd. Let them touch you. Have fun.” When she finished the first song, she stopped and looked at him. He’d stood

when she ended, but now he sat again, still clapping but gazing at her expectantly. Then he dropped his hands to his sides. “Why did you stop?” “Because I finished the song.” “Is that what you plan on doing on stage?” He smirked. “Talk. Interact. Ask them how it’s going, if they’re excited for hottie Nathan to come up on stage in a little while…have fun.” Abby laughed. “I can do that, but it’s not like I can tear off my shirt like you did last night.” Nathan’s gaze dropped to her chest

and he swallowed. Abby’s cheeks warmed. Stupid. Why had she said that? They’d been doing so well pretending they were just work buddies or friends. He stared back into her eyes. “Not that you wouldn’t get a reaction out of that, too, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” “Right. How about this?” She let her guitar drop to her side as she put her hands around her mouth. “Hello, Jersey!” “Exactly. Just make sure when you say a city we’re actually in that city. When

we first started we were doing a show in Boston and Will said, ‘How ‘bout those Yankees?’ He thought we were still in New York.” “He didn’t.” “It was awful. We got booed.” Hands still pressed to her lips, Abby said, “He was probably mortified.” Nathan’s mouth opened, but he shut it quickly and jumped from his chair. “Sorry. Phone’s ringing. Hey,” he answered. “Yeah. Be right there.” He ran his hand over his hair as he hung up with his other one. “Gotta go, Abby. I forgot

about our writing session. Here.” He walked up and handed her the set list. “I made some adjustments.” He waved then jogged away. “Nathan!” she shouted after him. He turned just before he pushed the door wide open. “Good luck,” she said quietly. He smiled and then walked out, the door slamming shut behind him. She peered down at his neat scrawl. He’d adjusted the order of some of her songs but at the bottom, he’d written, “You have a beautiful voice, Abby. I’m

glad you’re here.” She giggled and threw her hand over her mouth before jumping up and down. Nathan Strong said she had a beautiful voice and was glad she was here. She’d finally gotten the compliment she wanted.

Chapter Thirteen NATHAN J hadn’t been kidding when he said it wouldn’t take Abby long to pull her own weight. She was nearly there already, she just needed a few pointers, but her singing was tremendous. He was

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almost a little jealous of how effortless it seemed to her. Luckily enough, he ran into LJ before heading into the writing session. Unluckily, his manager wasn’t too pleased with him for forgetting about said writing session. “I need you at your best, Nathan. What’s wrong with you?” Nathan rubbed the back of his neck. This wasn’t exactly how he wanted to start the conversation about Abby. “Sorry, LJ. Lost track of time after my date with Marissa.”

The creases in LJ’s forehead disappeared and he smiled. “Right. How’d that go?” Nathan shrugged. “Good. But listen, now that you bring it up, I’ve got this idea. Does it matter who we use as the girl we—I…the girl I date?” LJ’s smile quickly turned into a frown. “What’s this about, Nathan? Marissa is perfect because she has a wide reach and she has a segment of the market we don’t have.” His manager checked his watch and then neatly crossed his arms.

It was now or never. “It’s just that I thought it would be a great idea for the girl I date to be another singer. Someone a little different than Seconds to Juliet to bring more fans to us, but also someone you could have the media spin us as like a singing dream team.” The wrinkles around LJ’s mouth deepened as his lips thinned. “And I suppose you know just the girl to use? Don’t be stupid, Nathan. You know my rule. Don’t let a pretty face screw up the rest of your career.” LJ looked him in the

eyes. “And if that’s not enough to convince you to back off, let me say this. Don’t do something that screws up her career, either.” His manager’s face, now red and angry, shook by the time he finished his tirade. LJ had all but spelled out that he knew Nathan was talking about Abby. And he’d made the consequences clear. If Nathan pushed this, Abby would be fired. Replaced. If it was only Nathan’s career on the line, maybe he would push the issue. Try

to call LJ’s bluff. But Abby’s career had just started. If she got fired now, this could be the end for her. Nathan wouldn’t do that to her. He wouldn’t ruin her future simply because he had feelings for her. She was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. He wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to her. He glanced away before his disappointment showed on his face. He shrugged nonchalantly. “It was just an idea, LJ. I didn’t really have anyone in mind. I just thought the singer angle

would be cool. I can see the media loving that, but if you don’t think it’s a good idea, I’m not going to push it. I trust you.” LJ relaxed visibly beside him. “That’s my boy. Just focus on Marissa for right now.” “There he is,” Marissa said as she came toward them. Nathan looked up and froze. What the hell was she doing here? “Speak of the devil,” LJ said. Marissa smiled, threw her dark hair over her shoulder, and pushed

sunglasses down over her eyes. His sunglasses. He’d thought he’d brought them to breakfast, but… LJ cleared his throat and tilted his head toward Marissa. Nathan sprang into action. He pointed at his chest. “My sunglasses?” She smiled. “Well, they’re not mine. I noticed them on the table when you left.” Uh huh. He’d looked on the table as Beau had come over to take him back to the hotel, but they hadn’t been there. “Thank God you found them. Those are

my favorite pair.” She held them out and he took them back. “It’s kind of a media circus out front right now,” she said. “Is it always like that for you? It was crazy.” Nathan shrugged. He felt sick. Not only had LJ shot his and Abby’s plan down so quickly, but he was also stuck with Marissa. Minutes ago, he’d felt like maybe he had a way to stop this feeling that everything was slowly falling apart. But that hope had been blasted away in seconds, filled in with all of this fake BS.

LJ shoved Nathan toward Marissa. “Why don’t you show her around the hotel? I offered her some front row seats to tonight’s show, but she’s shooting a night scene, so…” “Yeah, it’s too bad, because I’d love to see you sing live,” Marissa said. “I know how your fans just adore you.” She smiled and, because playing the part was all he had left, Nathan returned her smile. LJ excused himself, and they walked toward the front lobby, the only place Nathan could think of to show her. “Are you glad I came?”

An uncomfortable sensation tingled its way up Nathan’s spine. He hated lying. “I’m surprised.” She laughed. “I figured you would be.” Nathan pushed the lobby button on the elevator. When the doors opened, Marissa’s smile widened as she stepped out. He led her to a little table near a picture window that looked out onto the street. A chaos of bodies swarmed in front of the hotel, and S2J’s tour bus with their stupid shirtless mural was parked in the background.

“Now that’s a piece of art,” Marissa said. “It’s terrible, actually.” She frowned. “I’m sure it works publicity-wise.” He shrugged again. The last thing he wanted to do was start talking publicity with her. She touched his forearm. “You seem a little tense. Hectic day?” Her hold heated his skin. What if someone saw them, with her holding him like this? But no, that was the point— people were supposed to see them. And

he hated it. This wasn’t real—he didn’t even like her. This was just as bad as that shirtless mural. “You could say that,” he muttered. Marissa stood on her tiptoes and leaned toward him. Ice shot down his spine and his stomach churned—no. This wasn’t right. He didn’t want this. Nathan shifted just enough so her lips landed on his jawbone. He took a step away and rubbed the back of his neck. “You know we actually don’t have to like each other, right?” When Nathan didn’t say anything, she

pulled her purse straps up higher on her shoulder and crossed her arms. Her usual soft voice morphed into a hard New York accent. “Do you think I was thrilled to be paired up with you? You’re like a little kid. I would’ve preferred Miles, but he’s apparently taken.” Nathan almost choked. “Excuse me?” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Don’t play innocent. You agreed to the arrangement, too.” “So you don’t really like me?” She smiled and batted her eyelashes. “No, I just have way more acting skills

than you do.” Nathan shook his head. “This is… insane.” She smiled coyly and put her hand on Nathan’s shoulder, sympathy oozing from her while her words came out like a whip. “What’s insane is that you don’t get it. All you have to do is pretend you like me. When I go in for a kiss, you shouldn’t pull away in horror.” Nathan’s temper flared. Whether LJ liked it or not, he was drawing the line at kissing. “I’m not going to kiss you.” “Fine.” She huffed. “You’ll just have

to do better at the other stuff. Smile at me once in a while. Act like we’re having a fantastic romantic conversation.” “Like you said, I’m not a good actor, and that would be pure acting.” Marissa scowled. Nathan’s cheeks reddened. He’d spoken without thinking—he wasn’t trying to be so hurtful. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I could try harder, I guess.” She put her hand through the crook of his arm. “Maybe you can walk me out to

my car and wave to the cameras a little. Flash that handsome pretty boy smile and gaze lovingly at me. It’s what would be best for the both of us right now.” Nathan did as she said. He put on his best Nathan Strong smile, waltzed out in front of everyone, helped the beautiful actress into the car, and pretended to be embarrassed when the paparazzi called out their names. As he walked back inside, his mind whirred with three realizations: One, LJ would be pleased. Two, he didn’t feel bad for disliking

Marissa now. Three, he wasn’t going to get Abby like they’d hoped—and he had to tell her, now, before she found out from anyone else. He owed her at least that much. He ran through the lobby to the elevators, but when an elevator didn’t come right away, he found the stairs and took them two at a time until he reached the third floor conference room. Abby was in mid-song when he stormed in, but she stopped. Her eyes widened as he jogged all the way up to

the stage and leaped on it. He wanted to tell her as soon as he saw her, but she was so beautiful standing there, everything he’d never known he wanted in a girl and everything he’d never thought he could have. As soon as he told her, it would all come crashing down around them. They’d both go back to their careers. But at least she’d have a career. At least she’d have a future. It was selfish, but he wanted one last moment with her before he tainted it with the truth. Let her feel how much he

felt for her. Hopefully, if she ever stopped hating him, she’d remember that much. He threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her to him, their lips crashing into one another’s. Her guitar pressed between them until she moved it to her back and cupped his face. This was what he wanted. This was real, honest, and didn’t have to be forced. His arms wound around her, caressing her as he went. Free and exploring, not that stiff, mechanical movement he had with Marissa.

She melded into him too, lacking all that uptight, holier-than-thou attitude of the girl he just left behind. She skimmed her thumbs across his cheeks and down his neck and arms. There was something so innocent yet so amazing about the way they touched. He was nothing like Marissa, but he and Abby…clicked. When he pushed, she pulled, when he needed, she gave. Like the teeth in a zipper, they lined up in all the right places. He knew he shouldn’t. He knew it could ruin everything he’d

worked so hard to achieve. But he also knew he didn’t want to deny himself this last time. When they pulled apart, Abby watched him expectantly, her face almost glowing. And then he felt like an even bigger asshole. He’d wanted that last moment, one final kiss, as a way to ease her pain. Instead, he’d just given her false hope. He should have told her as soon as he saw her. “Nathan, what happened? Did LJ…?” He shook his head.

Her gaze dropped to the floor and her hands fell away from him as if she’d just lost a fight. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But he made it clear. If I don’t stay away from you, he’ll fire you. I won’t let that happen.” She shook her head. “But maybe if we go talk to him together. Or if we bring Reeta in. She’s so persuasive. Maybe she can—” “Abby.” He swallowed. “I don’t want to stay away from you. I don’t know how I’ll be able to. But we have to try.”

Chapter Fourteen NATHAN athan and the rest of Seconds to Juliet walked toward the lunch tents set up outside MetLife Stadium. It had been a great writing day in spite of, or maybe because of, all the emotions

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swirling around Nathan. He didn’t think he imagined it, but the guys had extra pep in their step. They’d finalized a couple more songs for their third album and nailed the choruses for two more. The sound was coming together even if Nathan felt as if he were being torn apart inside. Trevin bumped Nathan’s shoulder. “You’re humming that melody again.” He was? Nathan shrugged. “It’s catchy.” “Damn right it is,” Ryder said. “Mark my words, that’ll be the first single off

the next album.” They all stared at each other. No one objected, which was practically a miracle; getting all five guys to agree on something musically was damn near impossible. Maybe that tune would be their first single—they just needed some lyrics, which they didn’t have. Yet. As soon as the lunch tent was in view, Nathan scanned the area. Two days ago he’d lied to himself and said he wasn’t searching for a cute little blonde who could sing—and dang she could sing. But today he didn’t need to. The only

thing he needed to do was keep it from everyone else. Nathan spotted her off to the far right sitting alone, and he flew through the food line and sat opposite her. She looked up, startled, as he put his plate down. “Can I sit here?” Her face turned pink. “I’m pretty sure it’s your tour and you can do whatever you want.” He fidgeted across from her, wanting to ask if she was okay. She didn’t look at him. He tried to eat in silence next to

her, but he couldn’t stand it. “Do you hate me?” Abby’s mouth dropped a little before she snapped it shut. “No. I don’t hate you.” He glanced around and then lowered his voice. “Can we act…I don’t know… Can we just pretend to be friends?” The truth was, he’d gotten a taste of Abby Curtis and he didn’t want to lose her from his life completely. Even if it did hurt to only be friends with her, he could try. “I just don’t think I can pretend as if I

don’t care about you. Friends can care about each other, right?” He loved the way she blushed. It set firecrackers off in his stomach. Finally, she nodded. He took a deep breath and then steeled himself against his warring emotions. He’d picked the friend path and now he set out on it. “So, how’d your staging go with that guy your label sent? I bet he wasn’t any better than me.” Abby caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Good. But he wasn’t near as good as you. I’m thinking of telling

Reeta I don’t need him if I have you.” Nathan grinned. “I’m sure Reeta already knows how good I am. Managers have a way of knowing things, trust me.” Her shoulders relaxed, as if by seeing they could have a normal conversation, some worry left her. She picked up her sub. “How did your writing session go?” “You know when you have those days where it just clicks? Today was like that. I think I had a lot on my mind I needed to get out.” Her eyes shone bright in the sunlight.

“That’s great.” Nathan admired her until her gaze moved up and beyond him to a man he didn’t recognize coming straight for them. Probably a reporter on a press pass. Nathan stood. The guy shook his hand. “Nathan Strong, David Reynolds. It’s nice to meet you. I’m actually here for Abby.” Abby fidgeted. “Don’t worry. Reeta sent me. She wanted me to check in on you while I was in the area. She said she texted you.”

Abby took out her phone and frowned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see this before now.” “Hey, that’s no problem. Looks like you haven’t had the chance to eat yet, which is good. I thought we’d head over to the open-air market, grab some food, and talk a little about your PR plan.” Nathan tried not to get angry. It wasn’t right that LJ gave him free reign to see Marissa whenever he wanted—which was never—but he had to be all secretive when it came to Abby. It was backwards. When they left, he stared at the

meatball sandwich on his plate. It had seemed like a great choice a few seconds ago when Abby was there, but now? Not so much. Will sat where Abby had been, and before he could start eating, Nathan said, “Hey, do you want to get out of here? I kind of want to try a ripper.” Will’s eyebrows rose. “A ripper? Am I supposed to know what that means?” “It’s a hot dog, I guess. My sister texted me about it.” The guys all knew about Natalie’s obsession with food. “The ripper is the

big thing around here?” “That’s what I hear.” Will shrugged. “I’m up for it. A change of food would be nice. Do you think they’ll have something I can eat?” Nathan smirked. He knew just the place to go, and he might see a cute blonde while they were there, too. “I heard there’s an open-air market nearby. I’m sure they’ll have a bunch of different things there.” Nathan gazed around. Now came the tough part. If they couldn’t convince someone to let them go or for someone

to take them, they were screwed. With Will going with him, he had a way better shot, though. Times like this, it was easier just to go to Beau. He flagged him down, and when he loped over, Nathan stood. “Lunch on me?” Beau gestured toward the food tent. “Isn’t lunch always on you?” Nathan laughed. “Well, yeah, but Will and I kind of want to get out today.” Beau crossed his arms. “It can be arranged. Natalie sending you off on a food mission?” Nathan nodded and Beau

smirked. “So what is it Natalie thinks you should eat in Jersey?” “Rippers.” Beau’s eyebrows raised. It was kind of a terrible name for a hot dog. He was positive Ryder had used that same word to describe something else and it sure as hell wasn’t food. “It’s a hot dog.” Beau looked disappointed. “It better be one hell of a hot dog.” “Actually, I was thinking we’d go to the open-air market so Will could get something he could eat too. That way, if

you don’t like the ripper, you can get whatever you want.” Beau motioned for them to follow as he pulled out his cell phone. “Don’t think you’re getting away with not buying me one, either, Nathan. Call the other guys and see if they want to go. I need to know how many black shirts to bring.” They watched as Beau spoke on the phone to set up the outing. It was kind of a bummer to have to arrange something as simple as lunch, but if he didn’t, it could be mayhem.

At least with Beau there, things would be under control and safe. He loved his fans like no one else, but they could get rowdy. And sometimes, rowdy groups and boy band members didn’t mix well together. Trevin and Daisy also wanted to go, so all four of them followed Beau out the back gate where a car already waited. Beau would drive them and then two more vans would follow filled with security, some in and some out of uniform. They’d gotten it down to a science this

past tour. Beau had explained to Nathan earlier on that someone would already be searching for the best way to enter and exit the area in case something went wrong. There’d even been times they’d wanted to go somewhere, but once they arrived, the guys couldn’t get out because the plans they’d made wouldn’t work. There were too many people, or a tractor-trailer was parked where they wanted to. Bottom line, if it wasn’t safe, Beau and his security detail wouldn’t take risks. The car slowed to a stop near the open

air market. Beau turned around in his seat, clutching the passenger’s side headrest. “We need to wait while the guys scope the place out.” “Beau…” Nathan said. He just wanted to get out there and look for Abby so he could pretend he was having lunch with her. In full force security mode now, Beau raised his eyebrows. “I’m checking in with my guys. I’ll let you know when we’re ready.” Defeated for the moment, Nathan leaned over the seat. “Hey, did LJ slip

you any spare tickets for tonight?” Beau shook his head in disbelief. “You guys pull off more tricks than Houdini and I always get in the middle of it. So, you not only want lunch, you want to make a scene, too?” Nathan smiled; he had Beau hooked. All of the guys knew which buttons to push so they could get away with doing more things. This little outing for rippers was about to turn into giving some lucky fans great tickets to the show tonight. LJ gave Beau spare tickets for when he was out doing security to surprise a

few superfans with floor seats. Beau loved doing it and LJ would be ecstatic to find out some of the guys had given out tickets. People would tweet about it in no time. Talk about good PR. It was also the kind of PR Nathan loved to do because he couldn’t give a crap about it benefiting him. It was all about the fans. Beau opened his suit jacket, fished out some tickets, and handed them over to Nathan. “If and only if the situation is clear. I’ll give you the signal.” They got all the way to the hot dog stand without being noticed. For those

precious few minutes, it was as if he could do anything again. He was free. Daisy and Trevin strolled hand-inhand, goofy grins on their faces as they walked with Will to the next stand, which sold made-to-order salads. This gave Nathan time to pretend to look at the menu when he was really searching for Abby. There were quite a few blondes walking around, but he couldn’t spot her anywhere. Resigned, Nathan finally peered up. It was a stupid idea anyway. The hot dog guy pointed his tongs at

him, his eyes round. “You’re…” Call it flattery. Call it his ego being stroked by the fact a random middleaged guy knew who he was, but this was a high you couldn’t get from walking around unnoticed—whether he felt free or not. Nathan wouldn’t give this up for the world. He smiled. “Yeah, I’m…” Beau stepped in and casually asked the guy if he wouldn’t mind keeping it low-key. They didn’t really want to make a scene. The hot dog vendor lowered his

voice. “I won’t tell anyone, I swear. My girls are going to kill me, though. They love you guys.” A tingle of adrenaline shot up Nathan’s spine. “Yeah? I’m honored. Thank you.” The guy stared until Nathan finally chuckled. “Can we order?” “You want one of my dogs?” Nathan motioned toward Beau. “We heard good things about rippers.” Hot dog guy nodded, his hands working behind the counter. “I happen to serve the best rippers in Jersey. Do you want onion rings on those?”

Beau smacked Nathan’s forearm and nodded before returning to Robocop mode. “One with, one without,” Nathan said. Around them, an older couple stopped to stare. A woman in business attire stood near a bush and took pictures with her cell phone. Nathan’s heart hammered, but he ignored the gathering crowd as best he could. If it kept up like this, Beau wouldn’t let him give away the tickets. When the guy handed them the fried hot dogs, Nathan took a huge bite.

“Mmm. That’s good. What’s your name?” The guy behind the little stand held out his hand. “Jimmy.” Nathan shook it. “Nice to meet you, Jimmy. How many daughters do you have?” An enormous smile grew on Jimmy’s face. “Two.” “And they’re big fans?” “Huge. I’m telling you they got posters, they got dolls. I tried to get tickets to the show but they sold out. They even had me calling the radio

station to win some.” Nathan smiled. He loved hearing those kinds of stories. The guy looked down. “Do you think I could get a picture with you? To show them?” “Sure.” Jimmy took his apron off and handed his phone over to Beau who called over one of their plain-clothed guards to snap the picture. Jimmy shook his hand as he stared at the screen on his phone. “Thanks again. They’ll love this.”

“Tell you what.” Nathan’s stomach knotted in anticipation. He glanced at Beau who casually gave him a thumbs up. “Why don’t you give your daughters a call? I’d like to talk to them.” “Wow. Really?” Jimmy pushed his hair away from his forehead then held down buttons on his phone. “Marie. Put Kiera and Krissy on the line.” A pause. “Just get them. They’ll never believe who I’m standing next to right now.” Nathan whispered. “Put them on speaker phone.” Jimmy did and held out the phone

between the group. Trevin, Will, and Daisy were coming over now, all of them beaming from ear to ear. “Hi, Daddy,” a chorus of voices spilled from the phone. “Girls. Guess who’s in front of me right now? Nathan from Seconds to Juliet.” There was a pause and then a tiny female voice said, “Are you joking?” “No.” Then the voices squeaked so loudly the sound cut and the speaker buzzed. Nathan motioned for the phone and

Jimmy held it out. “Is this Kiera and Krissy?” “Uh-huh.” At least one of them was crying—the sniffles spilled through the speaker. “You’re big S2J fans?” “The biggest! Oh my god, you have no idea. We love you.” More and more people gathered around their group. He saw at least ten cell phones recording their exchange. Beau was getting antsy—Nathan had to wrap it up. “What’s your favorite song?”

“‘The One,’” they squealed. He knew that was coming. Ninety-nine percent of the time, “The One” was the answer. “You know, I really need to practice before tonight, and I’ve got Will and Trevin here, too. Will you sing a little bit of it with us?” More squeals on the other end. “Oh my God. YES!” Nathan hummed the beginning and then they launched into the lyrics. After the first verse, they stopped singing and the girls kept going. He loved hearing their cute little voices sing their song. The

crowd around him clapped in time. The guys came in again for the chorus and then stopped when Nathan held up his hand. “Listen, Krissy, Kiera, you sang that so well. I’ve got a surprise for you guys.” He reached into his pocket and brought out a few tickets. Jimmy’s face blanched and he covered his mouth with his hands before tearing his fingers through his hair. “I’m handing your dad tickets to tonight’s show right now.” “WHAT?! OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD.”

More screaming ensued. Beau put his arm on his shoulder and Nathan said good bye to the girls, though he doubted they could hear him at this point. Jimmy was speechless as he took the phone back from Nathan along with the tickets. Their group turned, hot dogs and salads in hand, surrounded by a swarm of security, but none of that mattered. Especially when the guards in front of him parted the crowd and Abby was one of the onlookers. Glassy eyes met his and she offered him a watery smile. They made it back inside the Town

Car without a hitch. The crowd cheered after them. Nathan grinned at the guys. “Great hot dog.” Beau just shook his head as he maneuvered through the thickening crowd. “Damn good hot dog.” Will smiled. “The best.” Daisy snickered and all the guys looked at her. Off in her own little world, she bent over her phone, her thumb swiping every so often. Trevin laughed and nudged Daisy in the arm. “What are you looking at?”

She rolled her eyes “This stupid celeb gossip site has a poll up about Nathan and Abby. It’s so ridiculous. Nathan’s only known her for what? Three days. Apparently, there’s a love match, though.” She turned her phone toward Nathan. There was a picture of both Abby and himself with a heart-o-meter between them that was bursting at the seams. Paling, Nathan snatched the phone from Daisy’s grasp and read the article. A reputable “source” told the writer there was definitely some tension going

on between the youngest S2J member and the newest opening act. The article concluded with, If Marissa Ives wants to keep her man to herself, she better keep one eye on Abby Curtis. She’s got boyfriend stealer written all over her. Nathan didn’t know what to get upset over first—the fact that this idiot writer called Abby a boyfriend stealer, that he wasn’t actually anyone’s boyfriend, or that it was all kind of true. He sat back against the leather seat, his insides tossing and turning as if he were in a row boat on the high seas. If

LJ saw this… Trevin, who’d taken Daisy’s phone back, laughed. “It’s insane how they’re always searching for a story. They even think it’s okay to make stuff up.” If only this were another made up story, Nathan wouldn’t feel so queasy.

Chapter Fifteen ABBY omeone must have shot pixie dust through Abby’s veins when she wasn’t watching, because she was on cloud nine, in heaven, and amped up all at the same time. Nathan Strong—the

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ultimate guy. Caring. Hot. Freaking adorable—wanted her. She never thought someone like him could care for her. The only downside? It all didn’t matter. On the car ride home, while David droned on about image and connections, all Abby could do was rewind the entire scene at the open-air market. She’d first noticed something was up when crowds started gathering around a hot dog stand. Then she’d seen Trevin and searched for Nathan, and sure enough, there he was,

making one dad a shoo-in for Best Father of the Year. She knew she shouldn’t be, but she couldn’t help herself. Against her better judgment, against the explicit instructions of LJ, she was falling for Nathan. When she thought about what could happen in a day or a week from now, she only saw it crumbling down around her. For whatever reason, that never mattered when he was right there in front of her. It was scary and incredibly stupid, but it was as if she’d risk it all for him. She wouldn’t, but

Nathan was exactly the kind of guy you could risk it all for. By the time David finally dropped her off, her heart was drumming in her ears to the tune of how great Nathan was. God, he was perfect. And his voice! She loved hearing his solo tenor without the production sounds around him. He had great tone. And he was generous and amazing. Before she could stop herself, she went straight to the food tent to wait for Nathan. She really hadn’t been gone for all that long after he left the market. It

was possible he was still around somewhere. With any luck, she wouldn’t find him and she’d be able to go concentrate on things that actually could happen—like her singing career. Part of the crew still sat and ate at the long tables. She wandered around, pretending not to be doing anything particular. After surveying the crowd for the third time, she spotted him standing by the tour busses. He caught her eye and turned. She followed. When she got between the busses,

Nathan leaned against one of the doors, waiting for her. She smiled. “You went to the open-air market, too.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I wanted to eat lunch with you.” Abby dug the toes of her sneakers into the dirt, realizing both of them knew they were playing with fire. “I wish we could’ve.” Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Did you eat lunch while you were there?” Abby nodded. “Well, I did, too. So, we did eat lunch

together at the open-air market. At least,” he shrugged, “we did as much as we’re allowed.” Abby thought her heart would melt. With a quick peek around, he grabbed her hand, tugged, and ran past Kiss This and all the other busses named after S2J songs. They stopped out front of The One—Seconds to Juliet’s bus. Abby had already heard rumors that no one besides the band were allowed to go in, but Nathan pulled her up behind him without hesitation. The bus oozed S2J. It was everything

she imagined it would be. Leather, vintage instruments, video games. He pulled her halfway through the aisle and then leaned her against a post between two sets of bunks. “No one uses the bus when we’re in a city for a couple days.” His breath tickled her face. She held his gaze as his hand slid through her hair to cup the back of her head. Her heart slamming inside her chest, Abby took a huge breath. It was like waiting to open up presents on Christmas, or counting down to New Year’s. He was about to

kiss her again and more than anything, she wanted him to. “Can I—?” Abby stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his first. He could kiss her here. There wasn’t anyone else around to see. She’d fallen so far in the past couple days. She’d already thought he was cool before she met him from all the S2J interviews she’d watched. He’d been her inspiration. Seconds to Juliet’s rise to fame showed her young people could do something with their lives, too. Life

didn’t just start at age twenty or thirty— there were amazing teens out there who fulfilled their dreams every day. He was living proof of that. His hard work, drive, and compassion for those two little girls made him that much more perfect for her, even if a relationship was unrealistic. Nathan pressed his body against hers. She bit back a moan and ran her hands through his hair. He pulled away, leaving her breathless, then yanked the front of her hat down. “Hey,” she said, smacking him in the

arm. “Not the hat.” “It’s cute,” Nathan admitted. Abby blushed before pulling him down to her again and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He nuzzled her cheek and kissed her ear. “I kind of like kissing you, Abby Curtis.” She smiled. “I kind of like that you like kissing me, Nathan Strong.” His breath breezed past her lips and before she could take another breath to steel herself, he covered her mouth again.

Abby had never kissed a guy like she’d kissed Nathan. She’d pecked a boy on the lips back home, even let them linger there for longer than necessary, but Nathan was different. Their lips had parted and they explored and tasted each other. When it was hard to breathe, they stopped. With foreheads touching, they stared into each other’s eyes. The want between them and desire to make something of themselves were at odds. The fact of the situation was, Abby and Nathan couldn’t mix the two.

Before it became too much, she shimmied away from him and walked toward the back. “So, this is your bus? It’s really nice.” Nathan’s voice came out gravelly. “We like it. We have to spend a ton of time here, so it’s important to have a nice area to call our own that doesn’t change throughout the tour. Do you think you’re going to get your own bus? Cherry had one.” Abby whirled, a finger curling around her hair. “I don’t know. Do you think I might?”

“I guess it’s up to your label.” He shrugged and gave her a small smile. Abby could imagine it already: pink and purple seat cushions, a vanity, a big screen TV… Nathan threaded his fingers in hers and pulled her to the seating area in the back. She stared at their hands and then at him, tightening her grip. Holding his hand like this felt like curling up on the couch back home with a warm hot chocolate. When they would leave the bus, she’d want to hold his hand so bad, but

wouldn’t be able to. She needed to soak this up while there were no prying eyes. As they passed through the bunk area, Abby wondered which one was Nathan’s. It’d be fun to see where he spent most of his time when he was on tour. She’d thought about it a lot when she was back home, following Nathan’s tweets. Nathan slowed by one of the bunks and tore a glossy paper away from the wall. “What the…?” His fingers slipped from hers as he straightened the paper and brought it

closer to his face to see in the dim light. Abby peered over his shoulder. It was a picture of the actress Nathan was “dating.” His shoulders stiffened. “Ryder, you ass,” he muttered. There was a big heart drawn over Marissa’s face with a fat Sharpie. XOXO, M—, it read. Nathan balled the picture up, which had obviously come from a magazine page, and threw it on the floor. “Hey,” Abby said, lightly touching his shoulders. She didn’t know exactly what

she was going to say, she just didn’t like to see him upset. He took a step away. “I don’t know who to be more mad at, myself or him.” “Who? Ryder?” Nathan ignored her. “Sometimes I wonder how I put myself in this position. Fake dating a celebrity? It doesn’t sound anything like me. But then I remember what I’m doing it for…” He ran his hands through his hair. “I don’t know.” Abby played with her lip, still unsure of what to say. She wished she could make it all better, but the task seemed

impossible. He finally looked up. “I’ve pulled you into this mess, too.” “It’s not as if I didn’t come willingly,” she said. That much was truth. She had a sinking suspicion she’d take Nathan any way she could get him, even if she had to be the “other” woman in everyone else’s eyes. Which would never be fair to either of them. “I gotta get back,” Nathan said abruptly. “I’ve got so much to do before tonight’s show.” Abby frowned, a kneejerk reaction she

would’ve loved to hide. She could see the torn feelings on his face, half wanting to stay, half knowing there was no use if they did. “You have things to do, too,” he reminded her. “You have a show to develop.” Abby threw her shoulders back, steeling herself. Nathan was right. She had things to do, too. She wasn’t just a fan pining away for Nathan on the sidelines. She turned and headed for the stairs. Just as the tip of her toe hit the first stair, Nathan pulled her around and kissed her.

His lips pushed and pulled and were everything she could want from a kiss. Their gazes locked when he pulled away. Abby, disoriented from emotional whiplash, turned to leave and fell into Ryder. Ryder’s eyebrows rose. Nathan pulled Abby back and stepped in front of her. “Abby wanted to see what a tour bus looked like in case she got her own.” The always-cocky Ryder snickered and twisted his body, allowing just enough room for Nathan and Abby to get by. “It seems like that’s not all she

wanted to see.” Abby kept her mouth shut as she moved past him, and her cheeks flamed hotter than the taste of jalapeños. Paranoia and anger swirled in her stomach, making her queasy. She hoped Ryder wouldn’t make a big deal out of what he saw. Out of everyone, Ryder was the last S2J member she would’ve wanted to catch Nathan and her on the bus. He’d probably never let them live it down, which was the last thing they needed. And if LJ found out…

Nathan pulled her to a stop a few steps away from the bus. “Hey, you okay?” She didn’t even try to hide her anxiety. “No! I’m freaking out. Ryder saw us. What if he says something? LJ…if he finds out, he’ll fire me and you’ll be in so much trouble. You’re supposed to be dating Marissa! I don’t know a lot about PR, but I do know a scandal would be terrible.” Nathan’s jaw set. “I’ll talk to Ryder. He won’t say anything.” Abby glanced back at the bus and then

at Nathan again. “I need this…we need this.” Nathan closed his eyes. When they opened, they were full of certainty again. “Trust me. I’ll talk to him. We just… can’t let that happen again.” Abby bit her lip. “We kind of get carried away around each other, don’t we?” “Carried away is an understatement.” Nathan hesitated before pulling on her hand and leading her between The One and Kiss This busses. “I like you, Abby. I like you a lot. I don’t want to stop

kissing you, in fact, I think I’ll go crazy if I can’t. But that’s just it.” He paused. “We can’t.” Having the truth so plainly laid before her was like a swift kick to the stomach. She knew it was right, she knew it was coming, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. She swallowed the emotions welling up inside her. “Will Ryder—?” “I’ll take care of Ryder. He has a bigger heart than you might think.” “He won’t say anything?” Nathan shook his head. “Promise. If he

knows anything, he won’t say anything.” Abby turned and walked away. For the first time since the auditions, she practiced the calming breathing technique her mom taught her. Only this time, she doubted it would help.

Chapter Sixteen NATHAN s Abby headed to her next concert prep, Nathan waited behind so he could talk to Ryder on the bus. All the other guys had brought girls on the bus at one time or another, but this was

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different. Nathan and Abby both needed Ryder to keep his mouth shut about it for the sake of all their careers. He took the bus steps two at a time and found Ryder on his bed with his guitar. The melody they’d worked on earlier filled the bus. “Hey,” Nathan said as he came up to him. Ryder nodded, his fingers still working over the strings. He envied people like Ryder, like Abby, who could play the guitar. He knew enough to get by, but it wasn’t the same. One of these days, he’d have to take lessons.

“What you saw earlier…” Ryder snickered and Nathan steeled himself. “It was nothing.” “Whatever you say, little bro,” Ryder said. “I mean it. It was nothing.” Ryder stopped playing. “Your business is your business. I’m not saying a word.” Nathan couldn’t believe his ears. Was Ryder going to make this easy? He’d tried to be confident when he told Abby he’d take care of it, but the truth was, Ryder was so unpredictable.

“So, you won’t say anything?” “Who’m I gonna tell? Teen Vogue?” Nathan rolled his eyes. He knew none of the guys would ever do that to him, nor would he do that to them. That was an unspoken promise. “You know what I mean. It wasn’t a big deal. She just wanted to see the bus. That was all.” Ryder continued plucking away at the strings. Nathan had no idea if Ryder even heard him. Nathan sighed and turned away. About halfway off the bus, the music stopped again. “Just so you know, little

bro, Beau saw you get on the bus. He’s the one who told me where I’d find you.” Nathan’s heart sank. Busted.

Chapter Seventeen ABBY bby sat cross-legged on the same big black box she’d watched the show from last night. Nathan waved to the hot dog guy and his two girls in the third row when he popped out from

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underneath the stage. The girls screamed and hugged each other. They’d painted “I’m a Strong girl” on their arms. Abby held back tears as she laughed. Nathan was living her fantasy and he was so good at it. If she could just get over her stupid stage fright, her path would be so much easier. The concert flew by. The guys were so in tune, so alive. They played to the crowd. They weren’t up there just singing heads, they talked to the audience, they waved to the fans nearby,

even had actual conversations with them when they weren’t singing. They were there for the fans, not because of them. Especially Nathan, who was always so genuine. When fans screamed, “We love you Nathan!” he made a heart with his hands and mouthed, “I heart you, too.” It was one thing seeing YouTube videos of this, but seeing it in person was a completely different story. He was so magnetic. So perfect. And so off-limits. As Will got the crowd going between songs, Miles spoke with the rest of the

group near the drum set. After they broke their huddle, Nathan walked toward her on the stage and motioned for her to come closer. She froze, her chest tightened, and dread fell on her like a bucket of ice water. He motioned for her again and Beau took her elbow. “Come on, kid. You’re wanted.” Holy bejeezus what was going on? Why were they bringing her on stage? After the crowd roared the last of Will’s repeat after me routine, Miles told the audience they were bringing out

their new opening act. Nathan held his hand out to Abby and she took it, stepping on one large black box after another until her foot hit the stage. Her body rumbled with adrenaline. Nathan leaned toward her. “We’re singing ‘The One’ together. All of us. Just like we did in rehearsal yesterday. Okay?” Abby nodded as Justin ran out with a mike and got her all wired up with an earpiece. Her heart thumped in her throat, in her head, her ears, everywhere. Somewhere far away, someone shouted

her name over and over as Miles egged the crowd on. He pumped his fist in the air while the crowd screamed. Her stomach did a somersault. Talk about dreams coming true. Abby didn’t even have to fake the smile on her face. She clapped her hands with the rest of the guys and then Miles shouted, “Let’s do this!” The band intro’d the song and slowed it down the way Abby liked. Nathan winked at her, and Will led her front and center of the stage. She looked down and found Jimmy

again with his two girls. They’d said this was their favorite song. Screwing it up was not an option. On cue, Abby sang. She drifted over the stage, reached out to touch hands, and played off the other guys. But most of all, she had fun. It was amazing. And to think she’d get to do this for the rest of the tour. As the band played the last notes, she bowed and gave Miles and Trevin high fives as she jogged toward the side of the stage, out of view. Justin waited there to de-mike her. “That sounded awesome. Great job,

Abby.” She smiled and watched the rest of the show. It was different the second time around. She glanced up just before the rain poured from the ceiling and saw the mechanics of it all. The crowd went absolutely nuts, and this time, their energy made her feel alive. The guys waved, bowed, and shouted good night. Justin pulled her out of the way just as they all ran toward her. The guys all smiled but kept running. “They have to hurry to beat the craziness,” Justin said in her ear.

Abby nodded and followed after them. At the end of the hall, LJ spoke excitedly with his arm around Nathan. When Nathan saw her, he nodded and looked away. LJ glanced at Abby, too, frowned, and pulled Nathan into a more private area. After a few moments, LJ said, “That’s my boy.” When Nathan returned to the hallway, his face was pink. She waited until S2J’s manager walked away then went up to Nathan. “Great show,” she said. A roadie pushed past her and she fell against him. He stiffened and she quickly

pulled away. “Sorry.” He shrugged and glanced down the hall. “You did great, too. The crowd was really into it.” She blushed. “It was amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it.” His eyes softened as he gazed at her. “I know the feeling.” For a few moments, Abby felt the promise they made to each other slip away. She inched closer. He stared into her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to pull him in some dark corner until Nathan shook his head, completely

breaking the spell they put on each other. “I’ve got to get going. They’ll be waiting for me.” He turned and she walked behind him as they made their way to the busses. “Aren’t you cold?” she asked as the cool night air settled over her. He didn’t turn around. “Yeah, there’ll be someone here…yep, there they are.” Mrs. Carlisle held some clothes out to Nathan and he went behind a door. Marsha smiled at Abby. “I’m glad you’re here. You’ll be sleeping on our bus tonight for the trip to New York. Just

temporary.” Reeta had already called before the concert began to tell her the same thing. It was nice to know there were others watching after her too though. “Your manager had your stuff sent over so it’s already waiting for you on the bus.” Mrs. Carlisle knocked on the door behind her. “Come on, Nathan. They’ll be wanting to go. You were already running late.” Nathan strode out with a fresh new white shirt and a pair of hip-hugger jeans, his wet ones in his hand. Mrs.

Carlisle tsked as she took the clothes from him. “It’s like I have five children.” They walked ahead together and Abby said, “I’m riding on Mrs. Carlisle’s bus tonight.” He was silent for a moment until he faintly whispered, “I wish I could, too.” Abby’s heart skipped a beat. Nathan led her to a bus a couple down from the one where the guys were all shirtless and hot on the side. “Here’s Not Tonight,” he said. “Nathan,” someone yelled. “We’re waiting for you.”

Abby turned as Beau walked toward them, shaking his head. Nathan sighed. Beau waved. “LJ called a band meeting. Video chat in five.” Nathan’s shoulders sagged. “Fine.” He turned to Abby. “I really have to go now. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Abby tried not to sound as disappointed as she felt. It was harder than she expected to ignore what she felt for him. “Yeah. Sure.” Nathan jogged away and Abby headed up Not Tonight’s stairs by herself. How fitting. Clearly, nothing was going to

happen tonight. She found her things lying on a bunk so she changed in the bathroom and jumped into bed. She tried to watch an episode of The Vampire Diaries on her phone, but she couldn’t get into it. Whenever Damon kissed Elena, she got far more pissed off than usual, so she just shut it off. Her phone buzzed with a Twitter mention—from @NathanStrongS2J. Stomach happy dancing, she pulled up the tweet. @TrevinJacobsS2J @WillFrayS2J

@DaisyRecycles4<3 Remember when we did this? @Abby_Curtis Below his tweet was a link to a video. Abby pushed play and Nathan filled her phone’s tiny screen. He was singing “The One” into a cell phone. It was a video of Nathan giving away the tickets to Jimmy and his kids. Someone had uploaded it to YouTube. All over again, the same rush of emotion swamped her as she watched him sing to those girls and tell them about the tickets. If she hadn’t already known she’d fallen for him, the proof was how

that video made her feel. She felt like one of his lovesick fans —and worse, she could never be anything more than one. Someone who could only admire him from afar. Abby went back and forth on whether she should reply to him. She didn’t think it was smart, but on one hand, he’d mentioned her, wasn’t it only polite to respond? After all, it wasn’t as if they’d been very smart up to this point. Her, seeking him out after their “lunch” and tonight’s show. Him, kissing her on S2J’s tour bus and tagging her on Twitter

for everyone to see. When she finally decided she was going to, it took another ten minutes to figure out what to tweet. Twenty minutes later, after she’d read and re-read her tweet, she sent her reply: @NathanStrongS2J That was all you and your kind generosity. So excited I get to tour with @SecondstoJuliet! A few seconds after she’d sent the tweet, her phone lit up with another Twitter mention. It was Nathan again.

Hey everyone, check out @Abby_Curtis killing it on stage tonight with #SecondstoJuliet’s “The One.” Glad to have her on tour. Holy cupcakes. How sweet was he? Within moments, she had fifty new followers on Twitter and like, twenty mentions. There were a few haters, but most of them complimented her voice. Abby thought she’d melt right there in the bunk. She bit her lip and screamed into her pillow. This was all the public

interaction she could ever hope for from Nathan, and as sweet as it was, she wanted more. She wasn’t just S2J’s opening act—she and Nathan had something special and she wanted to scream it to the world. But she couldn’t. They couldn’t. Not if they didn’t want to risk major backlash that could mess up their careers. The phone vibrated in her hand and Reeta’s face appeared on the screen. She swiped the phone to answer it. “Hi, Reeta.” “I saw the video of you singing on

stage with S2J. Looked great. The execs saw it, too, and LJ agrees. You’re going on tomorrow.” Abby’s breath caught in her throat. Tomorrow would be the big day. But instead of nerves wreaking havoc on her stomach, she had excited jitters and goose bumps. “Abby? You there?” “Yeah. Sure. That’s great news.” “I’ll email you the new schedule.” Abby hung up and laid down, her hands and legs outstretched as far as they would go. This was it. Until now, things

had been fun, as if she were just playing a part. It was about to get real. She only wished she could have Nathan by her side to help her through it.

Chapter Eighteen NATHAN Nate, You are freaking incredible. Just listening to your music makes me, ugh!, I don’t know…GET HOT. My sister and I fight over who’s the

sexiest. I say you but she says Ryder. Personally, I’d let you be with me all day every day. I absolutely don’t care that you’re like, two years younger than me. Just think…I’m more experienced. ;) Who’s this Marissa chick you’re hanging out with? She’s disgusting. She seems like such a fake…you know what. I don’t care if she’s a famous actress or whatever. I think you need to get with a real girl. Like me. Haha.

If you’re ever around Grand Rapids, I think you know who to call. Bye sexy boy, Maddie A flying UFO hit Nathan in the shoulder as he lay in his bunk on the bus. The interruption was welcome. He’d been staring at the “fan” letter for far longer than necessary. Some girls…he shouldn’t say that, some people, were only out for themselves. The letter was less about being a fan and more about throwing herself at him.

Nathan peered down at a glossy magazine with his face on the pages. He’d never in a bajillion years get used to that. Will cleared his throat and in his best girl voice read the bold text next to Nathan’s face. “We just love to love Nathan with his smoky-highlighted features and eyelashes that make girls not only swoon but cry out with envy.” Nathan shook with suppressed laughter. “Cry out with envy, huh?” “It’s the latest issue of Teen Vogue,” Ryder said as he came up behind Will, a beef jerky in hand. They were making an

unsanctioned pit stop not far outside of Jersey to grab some snacks for the rest of the ride. Their bus driver was pretty cool like that. Ryder smacked his beef jerky against the glossy magazine. “There’s a whole section in there on how girls should dress so they can go with our signature looks. I’ve got the hottest girl. Leather everything. Be jealous.” “Not when I have eyelashes that make them cry out with envy.” Ryder smirked. “Whatever, little man.”

Nathan dodged his playful punch. “Be jealous.” Ryder pulled up against the bunk opposite Nathan and propped his feet next to Nathan’s head. Will, Trevin, and Miles ducked under his legs with their stash of junk food and moved to the back of the bus. Things between him and Ryder had continued on just as they had. Neither one of them had muttered a single word about the bus incident with Abby, and Nathan couldn’t be more grateful. Ryder nodded toward the “fan” letter.

“Who’s that one from?” Nathan shoved it to the side of his bunk. “Maddie. She thinks I’m sexier than you.” “Not possible. You can’t be categorized as sexy until you hit seventeen. That makes what? Five more years for you?” Nathan threw the magazine at Ryder’s chest. “Shut up.” After a couple moments, Ryder smacked the wood bunk next to Nathan. “Dude. Did you see Trevin almost bite it during ‘Rock You’? The look on his face

was freaking priceless. I hope some fan got that shot.” Nathan did see Trevin trip over himself and probably still had lip indents to prove it. He’d bitten down hard to stop from laughing into the live mike in front of the entire crowd. “Shut up, man.” Ryder gazed toward the back of the bus, at the origin of the outburst. All it did was make him laugh harder until a steady stream of water pelted him in the face. Laugh cut short, he dropped to his feet. “I thought we said no more damn

water guns on the bus.” Trevin smirked. “Like we said no making out on the bus, too? Nobody followed that rule.” Nathan almost raised his hand because, for all the rest of the guys knew other than Ryder, he had followed it. Ryder shot him a daring look. Nathan wasn’t dumb. He knew when to keep quiet. The less everyone knew, the better, and he didn’t want to egg Ryder into saying something. Mr. Bad Boy himself pretended to suck his thumb in Nathan’s direction and

then caught a little neon green squirt gun out of thin air and pointed it at Nathan’s chest. Not again. Nathan threw his hands up in surrender. There was no way he wanted to sleep in a wet bed from an epic water gun fight. Again. The hissing of the bus door’s air release interrupted the showdown and all five pairs of eyes moved to the front of the bus. Still pointing the water gun at Nathan’s chest, Ryder said, “This is the band member only bus. Are you lost,

Beau?” “Gun.” Beau outstretched his meaty hand. “Not happening.” “I bet LJ would love to hear of your unauthorized pit stop.” Ryder rolled his eyes, strolled toward Beau, and put the water gun in his palm. It looked even more like a cheap plastic toy in their security guard’s huge grip. Ryder’s bunk creaked as he threw himself on top of it. “Why are you here anyway?” Trevin frowned. “It’s not Daisy, is it?

Is she okay? I just talked to her a little while ago.” Beau eyed Trevin. Every time they interacted when Daisy wasn’t around, Nathan sensed a little tension. There was a good possibility he’d never forgive Trevin for Daisy pulling a disappearing act on the both of them a couple months or so ago. That, and Trevin had been acting weird around Beau ever since he got with Daisy. Beau’s stare made even Nathan pick up another fan letter and pretend to read it. Their security guard shook his head

and waved Trevin away. Nathan still thought Trevin had balls of steel, though. Beau was scary when he wanted to be and the last thing Nathan would’ve thought of doing was going after his daughter. “Nathan?” Damn. He lowered the letter and stared straight into two fierce-looking eyes. “Yeah?” “LJ’s been trying to FaceTime you. Answer the phone.” After tweeting with Abby right after the concert, he’d needed to put his phone

on the charger, so he hadn’t noticed LJ’s attempts at contacting him. The guys had already video chatted with him earlier, letting them know Abby was doing a whole set at the next venue, so this call was probably about Nathan’s so-called mission. Great. Nathan brought out his phone. LJ had apparently given up on FaceTime and texted him instead. STOP tweeting Abby and STOP having private conversations with her like the one I saw earlier. The press is already trying to pair you

two together because of your age and because all the other guys are attached and apparently you can’t stay the hell away from her. DO NOT FEED THIS RUMOR. Cheating on Marissa right now would be a very good way to get you both unemployed, along with the rest of the guys. Nathan’s heart stopped and ice shot through his veins. His hands shook as he read the text again. This was it. LJ meant business. If the press ever found out about him and Abby, it would be the end

of his world as he knew it.

Chapter Nineteen NATHAN econds to Juliet and their entourage rolled into Saratoga Springs, NY in the early afternoon. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center— SPAC—was one of the smaller venues, but Nathan

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loved it. They’d left the city and were now out in the country. It reminded him of home. A roadie scrounged up a football somewhere, and the guys found some space behind the amphitheater to throw it around. Miles waved Trevin long and unleashed a spiral. Trevin caught it on the run and heaved it toward Nathan who had to jump to catch it. “Dude, did you see that? I could’ve been Tom freaking Brady,” Trevin yelled. “But you’re Trevin Jacobs,” Nathan

called back, “Why would you want to be Tom Brady?” Trevin smiled. “Good point.” Nathan shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw light blond hair. Abby. He quickly looked away. LJ’s repeated warnings hadn’t lessened his attraction to her, which was a serious problem. She wore that adorable black hat and a smile that could power his life for days. But he ignored her as best he could until Trevin and Will waved to her. Then, and only then, did he allow

himself to look and wave back. She walked toward him and he made sure he was standing next to Miles when she got close. If LJ spotted them, he wouldn’t be able to accuse them of having a private conversation when the rest of the guys were around, too. “Hey,” Miles said. “What’ve you been up to this morning? Practicing hard?” “You bet. Rehearsing for the big night tonight.” “Nervous?” Nathan asked, then wanted to kick himself. Surely one of the other guys would’ve asked her that.

Abby nodded. “No reason to be,” Miles assured her. “Everyone was impressed with your performance on stage last night.” “Yeah?” A smile flit across her face. Trevin waved Miles long. As he sprinted away from them, Nathan’s totally fake cold expression melted at her hopeful smile. “Yeah. LJ said both of our teams were impressed.” “Even so.” Abby smiled. “I wish…” She stood on her tiptoes and then shrugged. “Never mind.” A honking bus distracted Nathan from

his next question. He glanced back, ready to curse Ryder out for screwing around with the bus again when Will jogged into view. “Abby, you gotta come look.” Abby frowned at Nathan. He shrugged and together they hurried up over the little hill where a black and purple bus came into view. Abby gasped. “Oh my god,” Nathan said. “You got your own tour bus.” On the side of the bus was the most beautiful picture of Abby he could

imagine. She held her guitar and her head was thrown back in a laugh. Her signature scrawled across the rest of the bus with the S in Curtis leading into a daisy. Nathan turned to Abby, but he didn’t find her until he glanced down. She knelt on the ground, her head in her hands, shoulders shaking. Nathan’s stomach sank. She was upset? “Hey. You okay?” Tears slid down her cheeks. “That’s my tour bus?” He crouched beside her and put his

arm on her shoulder. She leaned into him, tears still falling as she stared ahead at the bus. Will walked up, smiling, just as Abby’s phone rang. She pulled it out of the waistband of her skirt. “Reeta…” There was a pause. “Yes.” Another fresh round of tears. “No. I can’t stop staring at the outside.” Nathan patted her back, buzzing with energy. Watching Abby see her tour bus for the first time was almost better than when S2J got theirs. “Okay, okay, I’m going,” Abby said.

Abby stood and walked toward the bus. She trailed her finger along the outside and then climbed up the steps, Nathan—and the rest of the guys— behind her the whole time. When she got to the top, her hand covered her mouth. “Mom!” Nathan hurried up the steps as Abby threw her arms around her mom. They were both crying. He gave them a moment, checking out the inside of the bus. It was cool. Smaller than The One, though it didn’t have to be as big as S2J’s bus. It was just Abby while there

were five members of Seconds to Juliet. Abby turned. “Mom, this is Nathan Strong.” Her mom wiped under her eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Nathan.” “Same to you, Mrs. Curtis.” The rest of the guys piled on and Abby introduced them all to her mom. Mrs. Curtis looked a little shell shocked to see all five of them in front of her. Nathan was used to the attention, but his stomach twisted and turned anyway. This was Abby’s mom—he wanted so badly to make a good impression. He wished

even more he could be meeting her for the first time as Abby’s boyfriend, but— Abby squealed as she picked a pillow up from the couch. “They’re even purple.” Ryder made a gagging sound. “Way too girly for me.” “I’m a girl,” Abby said. “Don’t need to remind us,” Ryder said and gave Nathan a knowing look. Nathan swallowed, begging Ryder to get off the bus without another word. He did, thankfully. Miles, Will, and Trevin left not long after.

Abby and her mom deserved some time together, too, so he held his hand out to Mrs. Curtis. “It was nice to meet you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.” He waved at Abby. “See you later.” Nathan was already off the bus and walking back toward the impromptu football game when Abby ran after him. “Thank you. I’d…” Warmth spread across his chest. “I know.” He knew how she felt. It was so bittersweet to see her happy. By staying away from her, he was helping her get

all of this, but also by staying away, he was denying every one of his basic instincts.

Chapter Twenty NATHAN bby nailed it on stage. If the guys didn’t step up their game, they’d be opening up for her next year. Damn, she was good. A natural. She really got into the music and flew across

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the stage like a totally different person. Confident, friendly, beautiful—Nathan couldn’t take his eyes off her. The crowd rallied behind her, even called her out for an encore where she did a quick rendition of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard. Nathan didn’t even know she had that kind of song in her. The song hyped the crowd up for S2J. She’d done her job and then some. After she got off stage, she leaned against the nearest wall and laughed. Nathan walked up to her, smiling. “That

much fun, huh?” “Oh my God, it was amazing. It’s kind of like…” Her eyes dropped to his lips. She smiled, then caught her lip between her teeth. “What?” She shook her head. “Nothing. I don’t know what I was going to say. I’m just so—I don’t know, I feel like I’m a live electrical wire.” “You’ll crash later, so be careful. Make sure it’s not someplace where someone can take blackmail photos.” She pushed away from the wall.

“Sounds like you’re talking from experience.” “Yeah and Trevin will die if they ever see the light of day.” The five minute call rang out, interrupting Abby’s giggles. “I should go find my mom. Good luck. Have fun.” She was almost out of his reach when he impulsively stepped forward and grabbed her hand. “What were you going to compare singing live to?” he asked. Her eyes dropped to his lips again. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I think it does.” Abby peered both ways and pulled him into a nearby alcove. “It reminds me of this.” She stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed him on the cheek. A zing shot through Nathan—she really was like a live wire. “We shouldn’t…” he whispered. “It’s just a kiss on the cheek,” she said. “If anyone sees, we’ll spin it as me being supportive.” And too soon, she pulled away and turned without a second glance.

Nathan leaned against the wall with a dopey expression on his face. He felt dopey. Love was like a drug. He’d told himself so many times he had to stop pursuing her, especially after Wonderwall reported earlier that he had a new special person in his life. The article had a nice pic of him and Abby sitting in the lunch tent together, which made the whole thing more incriminating. They looked cozy. Too cozy. The writer left it up to readers to draw their own conclusions on whether Abby

was just a friend or more than one. Even after all that, when he saw Abby, he just couldn’t seem to stay away. His mind and body weren’t connected. His body knew, his heart knew, everything but his brain was all on the same page. If they were alone, just the two of them and nothing separating them but his willpower…he knew what he would do. When the two minute call rang out, Nathan pushed away from the wall toward S2J’s backstage area. As soon as Nathan entered the room, Ryder laughed and motioned toward his cheek. Nathan

searched for the nearest reflective surface. Damn. Abby had gotten her lipstick on him. He quickly wiped at it with his hand, but it didn’t help. Their makeup artist Natasha walked by, and he called her over. She took one look and grabbed a tissue from her pocket and some magic cream. “You and Trevin are killing me.” Nathan blushed. “It’s not what you think. Ryder bet me—” The look Natasha gave him silenced him in a nanosecond. She wiped his

cheek and gave him a big smile. “Kill it, Nathan.” He hurried to hunch under the stage with the rest of the guys. They all nodded at each other. Nathan’s pulse thumped at his wrists. Abby was right. There was nothing better than this. Except for maybe… Never mind. He didn’t even want to think it. Crouching here with his four best friends, waiting to sing in front of thousands of people all chanting for them. This had to be the best thing in the

world. He and Abby had been reckless lately, but he didn’t want to let down the guys smiling back at him. The metal plate under Nathan’s feet shot up. He launched into the air under the glare of the lights. It was show time. athan and the rest of Seconds to Juliet’s entourage traveled clear across the whole of New York for their next venue. He and the guys had been excited about this stop since they’d first heard about it. It was at a Six Flags,

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which meant roller coasters and theme park food. The park manager even agreed to open up a couple hours early just for them. Nathan had thought it would mean freedom, but instead, it was two hours of him watching his bandmates be with their girlfriends. Mia and Aimee had flown in especially for this, and Daisy and Natasha were there like they always were. He was like the ninth wheel in their group and it hurt to see how happy they all were. He and Abby were so far away from

what they had. He couldn’t hold her hand in public—he couldn’t even tweet her for God’s sake. He shouldn’t even be thinking about her so the whole comparison was stupid. As the hours wound down, Nathan’s spirits plummeted. All around him, the excited, familiar chatter of his bandmates echoed off the restaurant walls as they ate breakfast before going back to their real lives. Out of all of them, he felt the most out of place. Miles was the heartthrob through and

through. No matter how much LJ had tried to make Nathan take his place now that Miles had Aimee, he’d never be able to truly pull it off. The only way he’d been able to get as far as he had was because whenever he had to act like the one everyone wanted, he’d pictured Abby, which made him less nervous so his mind and mouth cooperated. Ryder could play a mean guitar and his moody personality had the girls falling in love with him within seconds. Trevin was an excellent musician and older, more responsible. He kept them

all in line. Will was Will. Steady and sincere. The band wouldn’t be complete without Will, but himself? He didn’t get it. He’d never understood how he’d gotten on to Rockstars: Live! He’d had to work his ass off with extra voice lessons and everything in the beginning just so his insecurities didn’t bleed through. Then when he won? It felt like a dream. It was a dream. It was the whole band’s dream—he couldn’t toss it away, not even for Abby, who might even have more to lose than he did. At least he’d

been able to live his dream for a while. She was just getting started. He couldn’t do anything to hinder that. So, when his manager called him to say he’d set up another date with Marissa, Nathan promised he’d do exactly as asked. LJ said he really needed Nathan to sell it this time. Marissa would meet him in downtown Buffalo at some swanky restaurant, candlelight, flowers, the whole shebang. They had to sell the romance between them. Kissing was still way off-limits, but

Nathan could hold her hand on the table or walk her arm-in-arm into the restaurant. After the call, Nathan raided Miles’s closet, threw on a dapper suit, and waited outside the bus for Beau to pick him up. Just on time, Beau pulled around and Nathan got in the back. They were both silent as they made their way through the small towns and into Buffalo. Apparently, part of the ruse they were playing with the public was that Marissa just couldn’t be without Nathan for one more night. She flew from Philly where

they were filming and straight into Buffalo just to see him for a few hours. If it were true, he’d even think it was sweet. In the front seat, Beau cleared his throat. Nathan glanced up and caught his eye in the mirror. “Abby asked about you today.” Nathan swallowed. He didn’t want to talk about Abby. Right now, he had to be fake; he didn’t want something to remind him of the real him. “Yeah?” Beau rolled his eyes. “Don’t try to play me, Nathan. I know she’s the same

girl from the pier that night in Jersey.” When Nathan didn’t say anything, Beau sighed. “What the hell are you getting yourself into?” He didn’t respond until several minutes later when Beau parked the car in front of the restaurant. “It’s just business as usual, Beau. No worries.” The guard turned and grabbed Nathan’s arm. “I’m not trying to get in your business. I’m just worried for you. That’s all.” The truth was, Nathan was kind of worried, too.

Nathan Strong, S2J’s bachelor, inhaled deeply and opened the car door. As soon as his feet touched the pavement, he had to be in celebrity mode. When he stepped out, a flash bulb burst in front of his eyes. He blinked a couple times and plastered a smile on his face. Lights. Camera. Action.

Chapter Twenty-One ABBY ucky Abby, instead of going to Six Flags with the rest of Seconds to Juliet, she had to go to PR lessons with David. She hadn’t really cared for him when they met the first time and now she

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cared even less. His lessons revolved around so many rules it made her head spin. It was no wonder Nathan needed to be so careful all the time. One wrong move and your whole world could implode. Everything was so calculated, so fake—all she wanted to do was sing! Worse yet, he used Nathan’s gracious gift of the floor seats to those two cute little girls and their father as an example of how to play the game. It made her sick to her stomach. When she asked if she could do something like that just because

it felt good, rather than for an angle to help her popularity, he laughed and said, “It’s always great to do something that makes you feel good, but it’ll feel even better when your sales go through the roof.” Abby disagreed and that was when David decided it was best to break for the day. There was no way Nathan had done that to make himself look good. She’d seen it in his eyes when he walked away; he did it for that family. And sure, he could’ve given the tickets to a

different family, but he did it because he wanted to give, not to receive something in return. At dinner at the venue, Nathan still wasn’t around, and she was whisked away right after for staging and her own sound check, so she didn’t have much time to think about him at all. Ever since Abby had actually started opening for S2J, they hadn’t found much time to see each other, so keeping their hands off wasn’t very difficult. It was depressing, but at the same time, they were doing what they needed to do.

When she felt a pity party coming on, Abby tried to snap herself out of it by reminding herself that this was what she wanted, and then she’d pick up her guitar and write a song or something else to distract her. She was doing just that when a plump, bald man knocked on her tour bus door. Abby welcomed Mr. Pearl onto her bus. He looked around and smiled. “Great space.” Abby cautiously smiled back. “Ryder said it was too girly.” “Well, that’s Ryder’s persona now,

isn’t it? The girls just love his moodiness.” He scratched his head. “Or, should I say, loved his moodiness.” Abby fidgeted, but didn’t know what to add. The silence in the bus skeeved her out. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything to say. He wasn’t her manager. They didn’t have a business relationship and they definitely didn’t have a personal relationship. Thankfully, Mr. Pearl broke the silence. “I’m a little worried about Nathan.” “Nathan?” Abby almost choked.

“Why? What happened?” What was going on? Was he hurt? Was that why she hadn’t seen him all day? “Oh, he’s fine physically, but he seems a little off his game lately.” Oh. Unsure of what to say, Abby kept silent. “You guys seem close. I was wondering if you might be able to talk to him.” What was LJ’s end game? Abby wasn’t sure, but admitting any kind of relationship would be dumb. “I like all the guys from S2J. I was a big fan of

theirs before I came, and now I’m an even bigger one.” He leaned against the little table in the kitchenette. “I’m glad to hear you say that. S2J is in a very precarious position right now, and I’d hate to see them lose everything just because you’ve entered the picture.” “Me?” “I guess I should’ve seen it coming. I mean, you’re young, he’s young—the press is trying so hard to pin you and Nathan together it’s almost laughable. But we can’t have you two fueling the

fire. You know what I mean?” Abby’s face reddened and her heart raced. “I almost wish I’d thought of this before we hired you.” All the breath whooshed from Abby’s lungs. She could almost see her dreams crumbling around her. “Hired me?” “Yes. Right now Nathan is on a date with Marissa, and the last thing he needs is some sort of controversy.” LJ straightened his shoulders. “But you’re a Seconds to Juliet fan. You wouldn’t do

anything to compromise their careers.” He paused and peered into her eyes. “Or your own career. Right?” Abby shook her head, her pulse roaring in her ears. “No. Definitely not.” Mr. Pearl beamed. “Excellent. Have a great show tonight, Abby. You’ve been doing awesome.” His heavy steps thudded down the bus stairs and Abby quickly sat on the closest stable object. What just happened? She didn’t know what to think about first. Nathan was on a date with Marissa

again. Granted, it was all LJ’s doing, but her heart hurt just thinking about it. And then there was LJ’s not-so-subtle threat. He would fire her in a heartbeat if it meant saving S2J. Maybe even fire her just because of speculation and nothing more. After all, as David had just told her, everything came down to PR.

Chapter Twenty-Two NATHAN day off was a luxury on tour. Usually Nathan would check in with his family back home, chill with the guys, and catch up on The Tudors, but that was before Abby toured with them.

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He seesawed back and forth between needing to see her and knowing he couldn’t. It was torture, being so close to her and having her around without being able to spend any actual time with her. In the early afternoon, Trevin jumped on the bus and swaggered his way to the back. Miles laughed. “What’s up with you?” “Just found out Beau’s leaving for the night. He’s taking LJ somewhere so I’m planning a big date with Daisy.” Nathan smiled. Hopefully Trevin and Daisy could get some good alone time

together. They deserved it. Wait. He jumped off his bunk. “LJ’s going somewhere?” “Yeah. Beau told Daisy that LJ’s going to visit his third…or fourth…or whatever it is wife for the night.” A burst of energy buzzed in Nathan’s chest. “All night?” “LJ, yeah” Trevin said. “I don’t know about Beau, though, so Daisy and I have to be careful.” Freedom. Finally. Nathan grabbed the flash drive he’d

gotten in the mail the other day and uploaded the two very important files to his laptop. Then he texted Abby: How is your hat doing? The excitement building in his nerves from just that one little text was proof for what he already knew: he was head over heels for Abby Curtis. But how he felt didn’t matter. Not when his feelings could ruin their dreams. With LJ gone tonight, though, there would be very little worry about getting found out. It was the perfect time. Abby didn’t text back for a few hours.

Nathan passed the time looking up her YouTube videos. At yesterday’s show she’d done a cover of “Jealous” by Nick Jonas for her encore song and the crowd had flipped. She’d nailed it. He’d watched that twice, fallen asleep for an hour or so, then gotten up and watched her version of “The One” three times before she texted him back. Abby: Hat’s doing pretty good. You? Nathan: Better than pretty good. Busy today?

Abby: Caught up on some sleep. You? Nathan: Same. We’re really living the life, aren’t we? Abby: You know it. Nathan: How did last night feel? Abby: Incredible. I feel so, so lucky. You get that, right? Nathan: Definitely. He knew it was dangerous. But didn’t friends let each other know how happy they were for each other? Didn’t they do

something to celebrate? Nathan: Listen, I want to see you. Nathan held his breath as he waited for a response. Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes… Abby: That’s not a good idea, Nathan. Nathan: I think it’s the best idea I had all day.

Chapter TwentyThree ABBY bby lowered the phone and took a deep breath. Heat pricked behind her eyes. She’d had plenty of time to think about LJ’s visit with her, and

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though she wouldn’t tell Nathan about it, she’d try to be strong for him. She needed to do what was best for both of them. She picked her phone up again. Abby: Isn’t it crazy that we’re making our dreams come true? How is this even real life? Nathan: I ask myself that all the time, but did you miss the part where I said I wanted to see you? Abby: No, I didn’t miss it. I’m just being realistic.

Nathan: LJ’s gone. I just want to see you for a little while. I have a surprise for you. Abby didn’t respond—what could she say? She wanted so badly to see him, and he sounded so eager, but it was a bad idea. Even if LJ wasn’t there, if someone saw them…it could ruin everything. The phone vibrated in her hand. Nathan was calling her. “You’re…calling?” she answered hesitantly. “Well, you were avoiding me.”

“I’m trying to be strong for you.” He sighed. “You’re not at all interested about the surprise?” When she didn’t answer, he said, “I’m coming over anyway, so you might as well just agree. Just think of it as the last time, okay? This is it.” “I think we’ve said that already.” “Well, I’ve never meant it before now.” “But—” “I’ll be there in five.” Abby paced around her small bus waiting for Nathan to arrive. Her

stomach did flip-flops and her palms were clammy. She should’ve told him not to come—it was too risky. It didn’t matter how much she wanted to be with him, it didn’t matter how just being near him made her feel warm and happy. They had too much to lose. Abby stood from her bed in the back when Nathan walked on. “Nathan.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “LJ will kill you if he finds out.” “He’s not going to find out.” “Your fans will kill you if they find out. You’re dating someone else,

remember?” “I’m not dating her.” “Your fans don’t know that.” Nathan dropped the backpack and pulled out snack after snack. Microwave popcorn, Twinkies, Ho Hos, the works. “Can we just forget that for one night? We haven’t seen each other lately, and I’ve missed you. Just for tonight, I want to be Nathan, the sixteen-year-old from a little town in PA no one’s ever heard of.” She couldn’t hold back her smile. “I’ve heard of your hometown.” “Which leads me to the other thing I

want to do—spend time with someone who gets me. We don’t have to do anything. I just want to be around you. Okay?” A slow smile spread across Abby’s face. Nathan was hard to resist. “Okay.” He grabbed his laptop from the bag. “Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s move on to the surprise.” He set up his laptop on the small table in front of them while Abby popped some popcorn. “Is it a movie?” Abby asked. “Even better.” He patted the cushion

next to him and Abby sat. Nathan pushed play and The Vampire Diaries show opener began. He nudged her. “Do you see it?” She chuckled at his excitement. “Yeah, I see it, but I don’t get it.” “I pulled some strings and got us the first two episodes of the next season of The Vampire Diaries.” Abby sat up so fast she spilled some of the popcorn. “Are you kidding me? The next season? I didn’t even know they shot those yet.” Nathan pulled her back down.

“They’ve only finished these two episodes. Thing is, we’re sworn to secrecy. If we tell anyone or sell these files instead of deleting them when we’re done, we’re getting sued. Big time.” Abby made the zipped lips motion and threw away the imaginary key. No way would she blow this chance of seeing the first two episodes before everybody else by blabbing it all over the place. For a couple hours, Abby tried to pretend for Nathan that she was just a girl sitting on a couch with a boy. They

weren’t just any normal boy and girl though. Nathan was Nathan, and as far as anyone knew, he was in a relationship with some other girl that wasn’t her and couldn’t be her. She’d even tried pretending they were just friends, but she second-guessed everything. Every time she accidentally touched him, she flinched. She wanted nothing more than to lay her head on his shoulder, but it would mean the feelings she’d sealed up tight might leak, and that would stain everything.

Chapter Twenty-Four NATHAN hen the credits rolled after the second episode and they’d started their good-byes, a switch went off inside Nathan. He knew how he always got himself into this mess now. It

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didn’t matter how extraordinary their lives were. Sure, he could get TV episodes that weren’t even supposed to be released yet at the drop of a hat, but it still just felt like a normal day when he was with her. And that was how he’d been trapped every time. He always had the best of intentions—trying to be friends, promising not to touch and kiss her, but just the very fact that he was with her made him seem normal. But he wasn’t normal, and neither was she. At some point during the last episode,

her head had found his shoulder. She was stiff, not like that night in his hotel room when he’d played with her hair. Her hands were even curled into fists. He didn’t imagine she was comfortable, but she’d sat that way anyway. Nathan had spent most of his time wondering what Abby was thinking rather than what was going on in the show. It hurt to look at her, at the strands of blond hair across his chest, and know that this couldn’t be. Abby was right. Coming here had been a mistake. It only reminded him of what couldn’t be.

She fidgeted beside him. “I like you a lot, Nathan.” Before he could reply, she lifted herself and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his. He pulled away—he couldn’t do this to either of them. Prolonging the inevitable, drawing out the hurt, was only making it worse. He’d just made it so much harder than it needed to be. Again. She sat up and glanced away. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Me, too.” The despair in her voice cut him. This

whole thing had been one big tease for Abby and himself. He wished he could take it all back. Actually, no. “I wish things were different,” he said. Abby hugged her arms to herself. “No, you don’t. You’d be wishing S2J away and you don’t want that, either.” She had a point. S2J was a dream come true. Like anyone else, he wished he could have his cake and eat it, too. Nathan had all he could ever want and life still wasn’t fair. “We could just be friends…” she said, as if she were grasping at a lifeline.

“But we’re not.” “We could be.” Nathan locked his hands on his lap. He understood. He wanted to grab at excuses or reasons or alternatives, but he knew that in the end, it wouldn’t work for one simple reason. “No, we can’t, Abby. I could never be friends with you unless we were also something more.” She bit her lip and nodded. “I guess sometimes it just hurts being different.” Nathan’s fan club motto flashed in his head. I’m a Strong girl. Abby fit it perfectly. She didn’t just sit back and

wait for her dreams; she went after them, which was exactly what she needed to focus on now. “I think it takes courage, which is one thing you have a hell of a lot of.” She smiled softly. “Doesn’t feel like it right now.” He patted her back, caught between needing to put a stop to this and wanting to hold her. “Don’t worry about all that. You’re going to be a mega superstar, but more importantly, you’re going to share your stories with the world.” Abby pulled away, half grinning, half

grimacing. “I hope you’re right or this would all be for nothing.”

Chapter Twenty-Five NATHAN athan had taken all of two steps off Abby’s bus before coming face to face with LJ. His eyes widened as his manager stared him down. Nathan couldn’t breathe.

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He was caught. And so dead. LJ shook his head, pulled out his cell phone and made a call. “He’s here.” He nodded once while someone spoke on the other line. “We’ll be right there.” As soon as he hung up, he called someone else. “We’re by the busses and need a ride downtown.” When Beau came by the bus to pick them up, LJ still hadn’t said a word to Nathan. Nathan squirmed, his mind racing with questions. What happened to LJ being out of town? How was this happening? Where were they going?

LJ gave Beau the name of a restaurant downtown and they rode there in silence. Somehow, Beau’s presence made Nathan feel a little better. Barely. Once he pulled to a stop and LJ got out, Beau turned in his seat. “Be yourself, Nathan. They don’t own you.” Which just showed how little Beau actually knew. They walked into the restaurant, and the maître d’ showed them to a back table. At the table was a guy in a black suit. Bossman.

It had crossed Nathan’s mind many times that the head of their record label was an actual mob boss—the kind that made you an offer you couldn’t refuse. The fact that he flew to one of S2J’s venues last month on a private jet and had a one-on-one meeting with Nathan about his new bachelor status in the back of a limo had only increased his suspicions. He’d worried the guys would find his head somewhere on the tour bus the next morning. And now, here they were, face to face again. Nathan nodded to him and sat. He

picked up his napkin. Underneath were pictures of him sneaking onto Abby’s bus earlier that evening. Beside it was an article with the headline: “New Pop Power Couple?” Nathan swallowed and laid the napkin back down. “Do you see how serious this is?” LJ asked. He’d known they were playing with fire for a while now, but he hadn’t realized how badly they’d get burned. Bossman getting involved meant this was bad. Really bad.

Nathan nodded. “I’m sure she’s a lovely girl,” LJ said. “She’s one hell of a singer, that’s for sure, but I thought we understood each other.” “We do.” He wiped his hands down his face and adjusted the collar of his suit. “The media have been asking questions. At first we could spin it that you were just friends, someone to talk to now that the rest of the guys were busy with their own girls and Will was still recuperating, but it’s gone on too long.

They’re running that article tomorrow morning. It won’t matter how we try to spin it now. They have you going into her bus alone, at night. It’ll have a life of its own. Do you know what rumors with a hint of truth do to bands like ours? They squash them. To the fans, you’re going to be a cheater. Women hate cheaters.” Nathan and the rest of the guys needed this band. This would devastate them. He would devastate them. Worse, Abby would never have a chance like this again. Maybe the band

could recover if this got out, but if Abby was fired, she’d lose her shot. Her only shot. All because of him. He wouldn’t do that to her. He wouldn’t steal another touch, another kiss, all the while knowing what it would cost. “I understand.” “We’re trying to buy them out, but if we can’t, Nathan, we’re done for. And if we can, you have some arenas to sell out in Europe to make up the money.” LJ looked at Bossman and asked, “Anything you’d like to add?”

Bossman shook his head. “I have faith he’ll do the right thing. If he doesn’t, the girl will be fired immediately.” With Bossman’s threat heavy on his shoulders, Nathan stood and exited the restaurant, his heart pounding and his stomach churning. He had to let Abby know they couldn’t see each other at all starting immediately and get real about his eligible bachelor status…and Marissa. Until the breakup, anyway. But he wouldn’t be the reason Abby—or any of the S2J guys—didn’t achieve their dreams.

Beau dropped him off and Nathan made a beeline for The One. Trevin intercepted him before he could make it to his bunk. “Where’ve you been? Bossman was in town for a meeting and LJ’s pissed.” “I was around.” “We tried to call you.” “I had my phone off.” Nathan tried to push past him toward the sanctuary of his bunk, but Trevin didn’t give up. “You okay?” “Jesus. I’m fine.” He elbowed by him. The video game music stopped, and Will

and Miles peeked their heads around the doorway. “What’s going on, mate?” Trevin shook his head as Nathan climbed into bed and shut the curtain. They could give him shit all they wanted, but who was trying to keep the group together? J woke Nathan early the next morning with the news they were able to buy off the paparazzi and article writer. He wouldn’t tell him how much money it took, but Nathan knew it had to have been a lot. Instead of going back to

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sleep like the rest of the guys, he went to see Mama Lee in Kiss This. She did all the guys’ wardrobes, and since Nathan was trying to think of his role as an opportunity instead of a setback now, he might as well see Mama Lee for a wardrobe update. Something more like Miles and Ryder and less prep school boy. Mama Lee was hunched over some fabric, a needle between her teeth. When she saw Nathan, she stuck the needle in a pincushion and then gave him a big hug. “What’ve you come here for? Do you

have a date with Abby? I hear you two have been hanging around a lot.” She elbowed him in the ribs, but it did the exact opposite of improving his mood. “No, Abby and I aren’t anything. I’m here to…change my look, I guess.” Eyebrows raised, Mama Lee studied Nathan’s usual white shirt and jeans. “What’s wrong with your look?” “I need something more Miles and less me.” She frowned. “Is this someone else’s doing?” Nathan wanted to scream that of

course it was. Would he be here for any other reason? Instead, he forced a smile. “Just feel like a change. I’m growing up, you know? I want to look more mature, I guess.” She fretted over her lip. “More mature. Sexy?” Nathan nodded. In two hours, Mama Lee had picked out all new outfits for Nathan. He looked more like Justin Bieber than himself, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He strode out of the bus with jeans

low on his hips, his button-up shirt open to the middle of his chest. Sure, he wasn’t showing as much skin as he was on the side of The One, but it was drastically different than what he normally wore. He had interviews in five minutes, so he headed to the pressroom. Though his pants felt like they might fall down, the clothes weren’t uncomfortable and they were cool. They just…weren’t him. He felt like an imposter. Abby waited outside the pressroom. She smiled when she saw him, and her

eyes dropped to his chest. “Hot today, are we?” His heart squeezed at the way she stared at him. He would have to say something to her soon. “Yeah, listen, I’m late. Can’t talk, sorry.” She frowned as he walked past. He was being a jerk, but he had to be. Saving both of their careers was his top priority. Just his luck, the press gave him many opportunities to do just that. They asked him about his relationship with Abby, which was a perfect segue into saying

what he’d rehearsed in his head all night. He laughed into the mike. “I’m not sure where this all came from. Everyone knows I’m dating Marissa—she just flew into Buffalo a couple weeks ago to see me. We’re…happy, and Abby and I are friends like the rest of the guys are friends with her, too. Right now I’m focusing on Marissa and on making each and every show perfect for the fans. I’m just working hard and having fun.” Will backed him up by saying the rest of the guys were big fans of Abby’s, too.

Hopefully that would satiate their hunger for a story for now. The fact that there wasn’t a story, none they would ever know anyway, would only help S2J. At the end of the session, Nathan stood. Abby waited in the back, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked so small and fragile as she turned and walked out. His heart broke for her, for everything they were and everything they could be but never would be. Ryder pulled at Nathan’s shirt when they got into the hall. “Nice outfit. I know you’re not trying to show off any

chest hair.” A button flew off and pinged off the wall next to them. A rush of heat swamped Nathan. “What the hell, Ryder? Leave me alone.” Ryder’s face went still, his throat working. Trevin stepped in between them. “Eyes everywhere you two. Let’s go.” Trevin tried to lead Nathan toward an empty room, but Nathan shrugged him off and went in the opposite direction. He made it to a room, shut the door behind him, and leaned against the door, eyes

closed. A sniffle broke the quiet. Nathan’s eyes flew open. Abby sat on a couch on the other side of the room, her knees pulled to her chest. She lifted her chin. “What’s wrong with you?” “I just got into a fight with Ryder.” “Oh. Did you blow him off, too?” Nathan shut his eyes and swallowed. He’d known all along this part would hurt. “Yeah.” “It’s not me, right? You just told the world you’re having fun with Marissa.

It’s stupid, and I shouldn’t be jealous, but I am. I know I shouldn’t want you, but I do. And every time I hear you say something like that about Marissa, I know it’s not true, but it makes me feel like you’ve already put the idea of ‘us’ behind you.” Put the idea of “them” behind him? He wished it was that easy. He wanted to be with her more than anything, but he knew he couldn’t have it. LJ and Bossman were serious. Nathan had already screwed up, and refusing to acknowledge that would make things

worse than they already were. Nathan shook his head. It hurt to look at her. He couldn’t do it anymore. “I’m only trying to do the right thing.” Abby bit her lip. “No, you’re a coward. And an asshole.” He winced. “I thought you and I”—she shook her head—“we were something. We could’ve been something. We could’ve made this work. What happened?” Nathan glanced away, and his voice became groggy. “The real world.” “Stop being cryptic.” She shook her

head. “And to think, last night I was so worried about you. Have you checked your phone? I left you a ton of messages to tell you about my new plan. About how maybe we can get Reeta involved and LJ would listen to her if he won’t listen to you. About how you and I could maybe both go to LJ. It’s possible if he saw us together we could convince him, but you never answered.” She frowned. “We can still get through it together.” Nathan shook his head. “Not this we can’t.” Abby bit her lip. “I can’t accept that.

I’m falling in love with you, Nathan. I won’t give up on us.” Her words were like a punch in the stomach—Nathan stumbled a step back. Falling in love? Sure, he sang about it all the time, but did he know anything about it? He thought about Abby sitting at the food tent next to him, her head thrown back in a laugh. Her giggles as they snuck onto The One. How nice her body felt next to his yesterday. All the conversations they had that he’d never wanted to end.

His gut clenched. His eyes burned with held back tears. Abby was right— he was a coward. An oblivious one at that. But it wasn’t just the two of them he had to worry about. There were four other guys, and his mom and his sister, and four other guys’ families. He couldn’t let them down, not even for this. And there was Abby and her mom. Hadn’t they both wanted this for her, too? He couldn’t have that on his shoulders along with everything else. “I’m sorry, Abby. I can’t do this with

you. I have commitments.” And like it or not, they’d gone too far to just be friends. Even the paparazzi knew that. All it would take was another picture of them together for people to put things together. He had to cut her off completely. She sniffled, tears streaming down her red cheeks. “I’m not asking you to give up your commitments. I’m just asking you to let me in. Let Reeta try.” He shook his head. “I don’t understand. Why won’t you even consider it?”

Nathan took a few steps toward her, his hands clenched. “LJ made it clear to me last night that I can’t be with you right now. Not in any way.” “Even as friends?” His face tightened, and it was all he could do just to speak. “Yeah. Even as friends.” She wiped at her face. “But why should we take LJ’s word for it? He can’t possibly know for sure. He just wants to do things his way.” Nathan nodded. There was no use denying it. “Yeah, but it’s not just LJ.

The president of the record label paid me a visit before you even got on the tour. He told me I have to be the fantasy. As much as I want to be, I can’t be the fantasy when I’m with you.” “But you were my fantasy.” He made a move for her hand, but she jerked it away. Nathan sighed. “Just know I don’t want to lose you, Abby.” Abby glared. “You don’t want to lose me? If that’s really true, then prove it. I’ve given you an option.” Nathan hesitated. “I…just trust me. It’s for your own good.”

She rubbed her eyes again. “No. You’re not doing this for me. You’re doing this for yourself.” Nathan’s heart clenched and his throat ached with unspoken words. But he couldn’t say anything to encourage her, not now. He didn’t have a solution that let him hold on to her and let her keep her career at the same time. Abby shook her head. “Fine. Good bye, Nathan.” Watching her walk away felt like that time he landed a front flip flat on his back onstage. Air knocked out of his

lungs, muscles locked in a painful vise, unable to breathe. Think. See. Nathan stumbled back onto the couch. The fabric smelled like her. She hadn’t been gone for more than a minute and he wanted her back. He needed her back. But wanting and needing didn’t matter, not in the face of reality. Nathan pressed his face into the cushion and whispered, “I’m sorry.” But apologizing where she couldn’t hear him wouldn’t make her forgive him.

Chapter Twenty-Six ABBY bby sang “You Learn” by Alanis Morissette for her encore that night. Maybe Nathan would figure out— too little too late—that all her encore songs had reflected what he’d made her

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feel throughout the tour. She’d just finished watching Nathan’s interview on Ellen for the tenth time in a row back on her tour bus after the show. Stupid internet and how quickly all the information got out there. Her heart broke a second time when she watched Nathan say how happy he was spending time with Marissa. As if Abby never existed. As if they never existed. Her phone rang next to her—about time Reeta called her back. She’d left like five messages. “What’s so urgent?” A keyboard

clicked in the background. Abby took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I want to quit Seconds to Juliet’s tour.” Silence. It was possible Reeta had a stroke. Finally, she laughed. “Oh, I get it. This is you making a joke. Ha. Ha. Good one, Abby.” Abby rolled her eyes. “I’m serious. I want off this tour.” “Why? People love you. Your YouTube views are up one hundred percent. The label is taking notice. They’ve got song writers calling them

saying they want to write for you. For you, Abby.” She didn’t bother reminding Reeta she wanted to write her own stuff. That was an argument for another time. “If I’m that good, they’ll still want me after I quit the tour.” “Please stop saying that word. You’re giving me a heart attack.” She paused again, then spoke, her voice much softer and quieter. “Please don’t do this for a boy.” “He’s not just any boy.” The phone buzzed for a moment and

Reeta lowered her voice. “Fine. He’s not just any boy, but this isn’t just any tour. When I first spoke to you on the phone about trying out for Seconds to Juliet’s tour, you were ecstatic. Was that about Nathan Strong?” Abby clenched her teeth. “No.” “I don’t want to sound harsh, but take him out of the equation. If nothing had ever happened with him, what would you be doing right now?” Tears sprang to Abby’s eyes. “Rehearsing. Thinking about my set. Thinking about how lucky I am.”

“You’re not lucky, Abby. You’re unbelievably talented. You deserve every second of this, so when I say ‘don’t throw it away for a boy,’ I’m not trying to diminish what you’re feeling, I’m just trying to get you to see the other side. You got here on your own. You can finish it on your own.” Abby sniffled and wiped at her watery eyes. Reeta made sense. She could handle this. See Nathan talking about Marissa, actually see him with Marissa. She’d been able to handle it so far, and it hadn’t broke her.

“You should write about it,” Reeta said. “The writers contacting me say you’ve got good stuff. They want to write with you, Abby, not for you.” She swallowed, forcing the lump barreling its way through her throat down. “Really?” “Absolutely.” After hanging up, Abby sat down and grabbed a piece of paper. Her mind raced as emotion swirled in her chest and she put pen to paper. Dear Nathan, Confession

time.

I’ve

always

thought about writing you a fan letter. Now seems like an odd time to finally do it because I’m not just a fan of Nathan Strong from Seconds to Juliet, I’m your fan. The real you. I know it’s like our dreams are at odds with our relationship and I’m not going to pretend I know why, but I do know that it’s only that way for now. You’re Nathan Strong—not just Seconds to Juliet’s Nathan Strong and not just the boy I’m falling in

love with—you’re both. You shouldn’t ever have to be two different people for anyone. Even me. But if you just want to be Seconds to Juliet’s Nathan Strong right now and there isn’t room for me there, then I’ll let you go. I guess that’s the greatest gift I can give you. Just remember you can be whoever you want to be, Nathan. You taught me that.

Love, Abby

Chapter TwentySeven NATHAN athan strode down a back hallway of some stadium he couldn’t remember in some state he was unfamiliar with when two hands jutted

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out from an open doorway and yanked him into a dark room. Nathan yelped— the door shut behind him, lights flickered on, and Miles, Trevin, Will, and Ryder stood in front of him. Nathan adjusted the collar of his leather jacket, his heart still racing. “What the hell, guys?” Trevin motioned toward an empty seat. “Sit.” “What—?” Ryder kicked the chair toward him. “Just do it.” Nathan sat, his leg bouncing. What

were they doing? This almost felt like one of those intervention shows. “What’s going on with you, mate?” Miles crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ve been a bloody menace to everybody. No one can say two words to you without you biting their head off. You’re late for writing sessions, you’re barely on time for sound check. The only time you are actually nice is when you’re in front of a camera.” Nathan shrugged. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong with me.” Will shook his head. “Nice try. A

source tells us you’ve been having private meetings with Bossman. Why? What do we need to know?” A “source”—yeah, right. Dammit, Beau. So much for privacy. “Just about the band, that’s all.” “Listen,” Ryder said. “Enough with the bullshitting. We all have eyes. We know you and Abby were hooking up, and now she doesn’t come out of her bus unless she has to.” Ryder looked at him meaningfully—he still hadn’t spilled what he saw, but he didn’t need to. “Yeah,” Will said. “She won’t even

talk to me, and everyone likes me.” Nathan sighed. “Maybe she’s having girl problems. I don’t know.” He thought the excuse might work. Girl problems always made guys squirm, but his bandmates trudged on. “I saw her leave the room you went into the other day,” Miles said. “I know what that looked like—I’ve been there. So, you had something and now it’s off. What can we do?” Nathan sighed. There was no point in denying it. Ryder would come clean about what he saw anyway, and since

Miles had seen Abby crying, there was no secret left to hold onto. “There’s nothing any of you can do.” “You did something that bad, then?” Trevin asked. “Let’s just say I’m asshole number one on her list.” Will grimaced and Ryder stood. “I helped Miles get Aimee back. I’m sure I can swing something.” Ryder reached for his phone, but Nathan grabbed his arm. “I can’t get her back. It’s not an option.” They all stared at him.

“Besides the fact that you guys are forgetting we’re not allowed to date other talent, thanks to you, Miles, I’m also not allowed to date anyone. Those meetings were about saving the band. If Abby and I are together, I can’t do that, and they’ll fire her for two reasons.” Trevin arched an eyebrow. “Save the band? Fire Abby? What are you talking about?” “Social media interest is down.” “And let me guess—the suits say it’s because we all have girlfriends?” Ryder asked.

Nathan nodded. “That’s bullshit,” Ryder said. “And you’re naïve enough to fall for it just like that stupid rule of LJ’s. He can’t tell any one of us who to date.” Miles and Trevin nodded. “Since when do we let people tell us what to do, mates? They worried about Aimee at first, too, but everyone fell in love with her. We sure as hell aren’t living our lives for the band. We have to have some sort of say in what goes on.” Trevin tapped his finger against his chin. “We’ll just put our feet down. If

Nathan can’t have Abby, we quit.” Nathan’s eyes widened. “Whoa. Wait, wait, wait. So we quit and don’t have jobs and Abby gets fired? Where do any of us win in that situation?” Ryder shrugged, “We fired Cherry together, didn’t we? That was a long time coming, too. We can do this.” Nathan’s future flashed in front of his eyes, and it looked bleak. No band. No best friends. Just him and his sister and their worn out mother. And worst of all, Abby fired. Her career destroyed before it had a chance. Sure, he might have

Abby for himself, but wouldn’t she resent him for ruining their shared dream? “Wait,” he said. “I’m not letting you guys do this. It’s my problem. I’m handling it.” “It’s not just your problem. It’s all of ours if they think they can mess with our personal lives. What’s next? We’re not allowed to drink?” “You’re not supposed to be drinking anyway,” Will reminded Ryder. He made a face back at him. “I agree,” Trevin said. “We can’t let

this go.” They all nodded in unison, but Nathan couldn’t hold it in any longer. He jumped to his feet, knocking over the chair. “Don’t you guys get it? This will destroy everything. My career. The whole band’s career. And Abby’s.” Ryder frowned. “You can’t be serious, little brother.” He shook his head. They must’ve all been thinking it; he was just being realistic. Miles ran his hand through his hair. “Besides the fact that the label will

never let us break up because at this point they need us more than we need them, you’d be fine if something happened. You have the best voice out of all of us.” “Let’s not get too crazy,” Ryder said. “Oh, shut up,” Miles said. “It’s true. The way you can hit and hold notes? I wish I could do that.” “And you’re a damn good writer, too,” Trevin said. “You can pinpoint an emotion better than any of us.” Ryder groaned. “Jesus. Are we all going to have confidence booster

sessions, or is this the only one I have to choke through?” “You’re such a dick,” Nathan said, staring down Ryder. Everyone burst out laughing, including Ryder. “I know.” He sat back on the couch and crossed his legs. “So we’re fine,” Nathan said. “But what about Abby?” Miles laughed. “You think he’ll have a chance in firing Abby if we push back? It’s his ass on the line if he wants to fire her. Not ours.” He smiled. “We’re the ones holding all the cards, Nathan. It’s

just taken us a long time to realize it.” Nathan stood there, stunned. They’d all been living under LJ’s iron will for so long that, yeah, they hadn’t realized they didn’t have to answer to him anymore. If he wanted to fire Abby, he’d have to go through them. Ryder said, “Bottom line is, Miles is right. Lester Lou needs us more than we need him. If he pushes us, we fire his ass. What’s the label going to do to back him up? We’ll just get a different manager. It wouldn’t mean we’d have to break up and go our separate ways.”

Nathan frowned. “I thought you hated the band and would want out.” Ryder shrugged. “If you think I’m going to go all snuggly bunny on you guys, you can suck it. It’s never happening. But there’s no way I’m quitting the band.” Trevin picked up a tissue box off the table and threw it at Ryder. “So, we’re all agreed, then? If Nathan can’t have Abby, LJ doesn’t get us. Since he won’t have us, he won’t have the power to fire Abby anyway.” This was ridiculously stupid, but at

least Nathan was part of the team again. They had his back and maybe, just maybe, with the five of them in it together, they could make a change.

Chapter TwentyEight ABBY bby woke up, went to sound check, did interviews when she had one, then sang her opening bit and went back to the bus.

A

She didn’t stay to watch Seconds to Juliet perform anymore. It was one thing when she and Nathan were secretly together. But now? Watching him wink at girls in the audience turned her stomach. But today she wouldn’t be able to ignore Nathan. They were all about to be on Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series, and his face was everywhere on all the little TV screens. Abby’s song wouldn’t be televised, but it was still her job to amp up the crowd for S2J. She’d sing while they did the interview, and then she’d be in the back

while they rocked Central Park. Backstage, the murmur of the crowd grew with anticipation. Abby bounced on her toes and glanced at the TV monitor attached to the cameraman’s camera. The stage manager, standing beside the cameraman, watched S2J sit on high stools on-screen, green foliage surrounding them. The stage manager would give her the cue to go out when it was time. On-screen, Nathan at least appeared normal again—no more chest-revealing shirts and ultra-tight pants. Thank

goodness his way premature midlife crisis was over. Not that she cared. She drew closer to the monitor as the female news anchor asked Nathan if he had a special someone. Abby’s stomach sank. God, would they ever stop asking him that? How many times did she have to get her heart trampled? The camera zoomed in closer and he gazed straight into the lens. “As a matter of fact, there is. I was hoping maybe everyone would like to help me out.” He peered down and the camera followed the angle to his hands and then panned

back up. “You see, I’ve been a tremendous jerk.” The feed cut to a different camera where a bunch of girls stood with S2J signs. They all went “aww.” Nathan’s small smile lit up the entire screen. “I know, I know. No one’s perfect. But I want to tell this girl how sorry I am and how I feel about her. Do you guys think that’d be okay?” Abby’s breath caught in her throat. What did that mean? Could she be the girl? Was Nathan really apologizing, or was this another publicity stunt?

The news anchor salivated, probably calculating the amount of hits this clip would get. Trevin clapped Nathan on the back. “But he’s not doing it right now. We’ve got a special surprise when we’re up onstage, so stay tuned everyone. You won’t want to miss it.” What surprise did they have onstage? What was going on? Abby’s heart thrummed as Nathan’s words swirled in her mind. I want to tell this girl how sorry I am and how I feel about her… The cameraman turned around and

pointed at Abby, and the stage manager pushed her toward the stage. “Go.” Oh, right. She was on. Abby ran out on stage. The crowd cheered over the opening chords to the new single the label had approved just this morning. “How ya doin’, New York? Come on, clap your hands like this.” The crowd clapped along with her. Energy crackled in the air and when Abby sang, the crowd sang with her. It had happened a few times on the tour but never like this. Reeta had said they’d

started playing the single on the radio, but Abby hadn’t heard it yet, so she almost didn’t believe it. One of the station’s cameras popped up in Abby’s face, and she sang into it. She even wiggled her hips some, which was a new move for her. A little girl held up a sign mid-song—We luv u Abby. Oh my god. Her own sign. She wanted to jump off the stage and hug this girl. Sing first, she reminded herself, then tackle-hug the little girl. The song wound down and Abby

bowed. “Thank you very much. Keep those hands going, because Seconds to Juliet is coming right up.” Abby ran across the stage and down the steps to find the cute little girl. Her eyes widened and her big sister jumped up and down next to her. “Oh my god, we love your new song.” “Thank you.” Abby hugged them both. The little girl held out a marker. “Will you sign my sign?” Abby’s lip trembled, and she beamed. “Of course I will.” The heat behind her eyes was about to

turn into a full on waterfall. She signed the poster, gave them each a quick hug, and then bolted out of there. Backstage, she found a wall to lean on and calmed her beating heart. That was so amazing. She’d never felt anything like it. They knew her song. They were singing it back to her. If she were alone, she’d be bouncing up and down right now. Seconds to Juliet’s intro music blared from the speakers, which brought her back to reality. She peeked around the curtain. The guys spoke with the same

anchor lady until she introduced them and then left them standing on the stage. The band played opening notes, but Abby didn’t recognize them, and she prided herself on knowing every single one of S2J’s songs and lyrics. Then, Will walked toward her and waved her out. She stepped back, but he grabbed her hand and gently pulled her with him. The guys were standing around an empty stool. Will led her to it, and she sat. The crowd roared. She told herself not to look at Nathan, but who was she

kidding? Who else was she going to look at? He leaned over. “I’m sorry. I’m the biggest ass I know. I’ve just explained to the whole world how I’ve let business people run my life, Marissa was never my girlfriend, and we’ve fired LJ, but none of that matters right now. If you let me, I’ll make it all up to you.” He pulled away just in time to launch into some lyrics. She could hardly think over the noise. He told the world about his fake relationship? They fired LJ? Holy crap.

The guys backed Nathan up as he walked back and forth around Abby, then he grabbed her hand. It was all so surreal. The lyrics were an apology. Nathan Strong was serenading her, onstage, in Central Park. Her. During the guitar break, Nathan went to the front of the stage. “Are you all going to help me win this girl over, or what?” They cheered. He ran to the left side of the stage and yelled, “I want this side to say, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry.’” He sang it for them

once, his hand waving from side to side, and they mimed it back to him. He ran over to the right side of the stage and said, “I want this side to say, ‘I’ll never be a fool again.’ Like this, sing it.” He sang it on cue with the music and the crowd repeated it back. For the next few minutes, Nathan ran back and forth across the stage and had the entire audience apologizing to Abby. Tears stung her eyes. She hoped to God she didn’t start bawling onstage—talk about embarrassing. A hand squeezed her shoulder and

Trevin smiled down at her. “We stayed up all night writing this song. If you don’t at least appreciate it, I’m siccing Daisy on you.” Abby nodded, her vision blurring with tears. All the guys stayed up to write this song with him? That meant they were behind them. They didn’t care if he dated her—better yet, they wanted him to date her. Nathan ran back to Abby, scooped up her hand, and launched into the chorus again. A long, lingering note jumped, dived, and danced all the way to Abby’s

heart. It was the best note she’d ever heard. At the end, Nathan took her hand and led her off stage while the rest of the guys sang “The One.” His eyes twinkled as sweat dotted his brow. “Do you still hate me?” She shook her head. She doubted she ever could hate him. “So you still like me?” Abby shook her head again and he frowned. She quickly smiled, and the grin reappeared on his face. “Well, speak then. I’m not a mind reader.”

She wiped her eyes. “I more than like you.” His smile grew. “I more than like you, too. I’m sorry—” “Yeah, I got that part,” she said. He fidgeted next to her. “I shouldn’t have let LJ run my life. He can’t do that anymore, and no one else will, either. Trust me.” Stupid tears trickled down her cheeks. “You chose me.” “I chose you. And I’ll continue to choose you if you let me.” She threw her arms around him and

crushed her lips to his. He kissed her back then pulled away quickly, his eyes wide. Panicked, he looked back at the stage. “Will’s trying to sing my solo.” Abby peeked around him. The guys were shooting Nathan daggers. He waved and kissed Abby on the cheek. “I’m supposed to go back out there after I got you to forgive me.” “I guess you better go, then.” He winked and held her hand until the last possible second. Abby laid her hand over her chest.

Her heart might pop right out of her skin at any moment. She’d never imagined it would be like this to date an S2J member, not even in her wildest dreams. It was so much more.

Epilogue NATHAN he most important thing Nathan had ever done in his life was sign up for Rockstars: Live! auditions. Not only had he been picked to be a member of Seconds to Juliet, but it had also led him

T

to the beautiful girl beside him right now. Abby’s eyes danced in the spotlight. Her mike blocked her lips, but Nathan could hear the beautiful notes in his earpiece as the crowd went bonkers singing Abby’s words back to her. The words she’d written for him. S2J and Abby Curtis fans had rallied behind them. This was the first of many duets they’d do together. They already had one planned for each of their new albums—Abby had titled hers “Not a Fairytale Girl.”

Nathan squeezed her and picked up where she left off. It was so easy to sing love songs when the person you’d written the words for stood right next to you. Abby grinned to the crowd as they hit an almost earsplitting volume. He’d never give this up for anything. Not for S2J. Not for the fans. Not ever again. The lights dimmed, and Nathan and Abby ran offstage. Miles, Ryder, Trevin, and Will gave them high fives as they passed. Nathan had seconds to switch out his mike and grab a guitar, but he

always took this time to kiss Abby, too. “Good luck,” she said. “Don’t need it. I’ve already got you, what else could I want?” She rolled her eyes. “You’re so corny. I love it.” He blew her a kiss and went back out onstage to sing another Abby-inspired love song.

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Acknowledgments I’m so grateful for all the Seconds to Juliet fans out there. It has been such a blast to interact with you guys on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. and know that I’m not alone in my boyband love. (Nick, JC, and Niall 4-ever!)

Thank you so much for sticking this series out until the end. It’s been an amazing journey and I couldn’t be happier to have been a part of it. Thanks also to Ophelia, Lisa, Rebekah, and Suze for being such awesome, supportive people! I can’t believe one Twitter conversation turned into this. How cool is that? I’ve enjoyed our many, many emails (all the fangirling!) and wish it wasn’t so close to the end. Many thanks also to the Entangled team for not only picking up this series, but all the work they’ve done on it. And of course, I

couldn’t do any of this without the support of my husband and family. I love you all!

About the Author Erin Butler is lucky enough to have two jobs she truly loves. As a librarian, she gets to work with books, and as an author, Erin writes the kind of books she loves to read. She prefers to spend her time indoors reading and writing, but

will venture out for chocolate and sunshine. Young Adult and New Adult books are her favorites, especially ones with kissing scenes. Sign up for our Teen newsletter and be the first to hear about new releases from Erin Butler and other fantastic Entangled authors! Reviews help other readers find books. We appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Thank you for reading!

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