Not If I Date You First

Chapter 18

"Pretty sweet deal you got yourself," I hear a guy's voice say and look over to see a photog with greasy hair pulled back in a man bun standing way too close to Ada. His proximity to her grates against my nerves.

"What do you want, Tyler?" Ada crosses her arms over her chest.

"I want to know how you convinced Agnes to give you points for other people's shots."

I remember Ada saying something about her boss awarding them points for photos taken of us and realize this dude must be one of her co-workers.

Ada drops her voice so the other paps can't overhear. "Since the pictures of Liam and me are the only ones that've earned you any real points, you should probably be thanking me."

Irritation flashes in the guy's eyes and his lip curls. "I don't need your handouts, sweetheart."

Sweetheart? Wow. This dude's got a pair on him. I've seen Faye and Ariani destroy guys for saying misogynistic bullshit like that.

Ada tilts her head. "You sure about that? Cause even without the extra points, I'd still be ahead of you."

The guy looks like he's got more to say, but another photographer girl with blond hair and freckles walks over. "Stop being a dick, Tyler. You'd do the same thing if anyone was dumb enough to want to take your picture."

Ada shoots her a grateful smile, but then her face freezes. She's zeroed in on something over my shoulder. I spin around to see a Range Rover with blacked-out windows, gliding up to the side of the building. I recognize the vehicle immediately as Ariani's. But before I can say as much to Ada, she turns and bolts down the sidewalk.

"Anders! Move your ass!" she yells over her shoulder.

I chase after her, and the thick, stifling air whips against my face. The other photogs are right behind us, feet slamming against pavement. Pedestrians dart out of our way, shouting curses after us. We round the corner just as Ariani walks out the side door of the restaurant, Faye trailing after her.

Fucking perfect. I didn't know Faye was here too. Those two are going to give me hell over this. I'm contemplating turning back when one of the paps sprints past me. His shoulder clips Ada's as he cuts her off, sending her plummeting to the sidewalk. She lifts her camera up with both hands to keep it from smashing on the concrete, which leaves her with nothing to break her fall. She skids across the cement as the other photographers charge past her, none of them stopping to see if she's okay.

"Shit." I rush over to her. "Are you—"

"I'm fine," she snaps, scrambling to her feet. I notice blood trickling down her wrist from the scapes on her palm. She wipes it off on her pants and speed-limps her way back down the sidewalk. She tries to get an angle to take a shot, but the other photogs block her out.

Faye and Ariani are about to climb into the back of the waiting SUV. I look back and forth between them and Ada and feel an expected pang of sympathy for her. She's literally put blood, sweat, and tears into getting this photo.

I groan, knowing I'll regret this later as I shoot a hand into the air. "Ariani! Faye!" I shout.

Ariani's head whips up. She does a double-take, shoving her sunglasses on top of her hair, mouth dropping open. She grabs Faye's arm, who follows her gaze. When she sees me, she stops dead in her tracks. "Liam?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Ariani shouts.

Her bodyguard clears a path through the paparazzi, so Ada and I can get past. I put an arm across Ada's shoulders. Her body goes stiff as a board against mine. "Just supporting my girl here."