Nerdy Little Secret

by M. J. O'Shea

  Jenna Maples (Brooke): No kidding! I remember the day we filmed our first solo scene together. Ryder might be a diva, guys, but Blair is the sweetest thing ever. He was so shy!

  Blair: I’m not that shy. I was just a little nervous. I mean, Flynn showed up that day. He’s kind of beautiful.

  Jenna: (*giggles*) I know. He was so intimidating at first. I had no idea he was going to be a total softie!

  Flynn Wright (Mack): You guys are ruining my rep here. I’m a total badass. Can I say badass?

  Tony Adams (Joey): Look at you, always getting in trouble.

  The interview turned into a paper-ball fight for a few moments here. We can tell you that despite his small frame, Tony has a serious arm! I’m already loving hanging out with these guys. They might have a stowaway in the luggage back to Key West.

  Caroline: So how do you guys handle the stress of hanging out with the same people all the time? Don’t you all live in the same place too? Give me the goss!

  Howie Morasco (Kelly): It does get kind of tough being around the same people all the time. But we do take breaks in town. There are some great places to hang out in Key West and meet people.

  Levi Phillips (Robbie): But we do have a lot of fun together, so it’s great just to relax by the pool in our building and barbecue. The cast is genuinely friends with each other now. We like to spend time with each other outside of work.

  Lizzie Pelman (Charlotte): Levi gives the best manicures. Just saying.

  Levi: Man, you’re killin’ my street cred!

  Lizzie: Like you have any.

  Levi: For real, I am pretty tame. It’s been a lot of fun playing Robbie. I’m having a great time getting into him. He gets to do things I’d never do, and sometimes it seems a little crazy, like who’d actually get involved in those kinds of things in high school, or ever, but still it’s fun, and I guess that’s what the show is all about. Drama! I’m excited for the rest of the season. I’m not going to give any spoilers but I think Robbie’s story line is getting more steamy!

  Tony: Hey! You aren’t supposed to tell them that kind of stuff.

  Cutter Whittingham (Hudson): He didn’t give much up. I think all of the story lines will get a bit steamier now that the fans know the characters. I think you can expect a whole lot more drama and, uh, action? And more skimpy swimsuits too.

  The whole cast started giggling here, just like the teens they play. We couldn’t help giggling with them.

  Flynn: Okay, guys, enough before we give too much away!

  The cast had to go after that, but OutTeen was grateful to get a few minutes with them during their busy T-shirt signing days. Thank you so much to the cast of Coconut Cove, and we can’t wait to see more drama and, uh, action in the coming months!

  “DON’T FORGET to bring nachos!”

  Blair laughed and rolled his eyes and punched Tony on the arm all at the same time. “I think that’s the tenth time you’ve reminded me. I’m going to leave them at home just to piss you off.”

  “Speaking of, is your mom coming? She’s a cool chick.”

  “Yeah, she said she’d come by after she got off work. She’s got such a ridiculous crush on Flynn.”

  Tony looked over to where Flynn was cuddled up to Seth’s side. He’d come to visit the set and was also planning to be at the barbecue later that night. Blair’s mom’s heart would never be the same. “Dude, I think he’s taken care of.”

  “Yeah, I think so too. I was just kidding anyway. My mom would never actually hit on any of you guys.”

  “Maybe we should hook her up with Scott. I think he’s bi.” Tony wiggled his eyebrows.

  “What, now that I’ve managed to actually get Sander, you’re moving on to my mom?”

  Tony sketched an exaggerated bow. “What was Key West’s love scene like before I came to town to spread a little cupid dust?”

  “Why don’t you spread some on yourself? I figured out who your crush is. I’m not blind.”

  Tony’s eyes darted over to where Casey was talking to Xara. Sure, he played a parent, but he was only thirty-eight, and Blair wasn’t blind. The guy was hot. Blond and tan, sexy in that rough, adventurous James Bond–David Beckham way. Poor Tony didn’t stand a chance.

  “Shut your mouth.” Tony looked mutinous.

  “I agree. He’s fine as hell.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Blair held up his hands. “Fine, fine. We shall not discuss. I’ll see you at the barbecue?”

  “See you there. Bring nachos.”

  “I’m so not bringing nachos anymore just to spite you.” Blair said it to make Tony smile. He hadn’t gotten him to talk about what had gone down between him and Casey, but it obviously wasn’t good, and Tony was doing a bad job of hiding it.

  “You’re a jerk.” Tony did give him a grudging smile, though. Blair considered it a victory.

  He waved at cast members as he walked by and got outside to find his bike already in the back of Sander’s truck and Sander taking a nap in the cab with both doors open.

  “Are you hot in there?” Blair asked.

  “Nah. I’m good.”

  Blair leaned over and gave Sander a kiss. “I am so ready for a nap before the barbecue. You okay with that?”

  “Always. Duh.” Sander winked at him.

  “Hey, can we drive by it on the way home?” Blair asked.

  “Drive by what?” Sander asked as he started the truck. Blair swatted at his arm. Sander knew exactly what.

  A FEW weeks before, he’d found this perfect little bungalow just a short walk from a small cove of a beach on a quiet street. It had been a moment of curiosity when he followed the For Sale arrow on the main street pointing down Hibiscus Lane.

  Blair had spent nearly none of his salary since filming had started, other than to pay the bills his mom would let him pay. With the popularity of the show growing, the cast was getting a decent hike in their earnings per episode in season two. Between the prospect of more money and his growing relationship with Sander, Blair was starting to relax his iron hold on his bank account, and even more, starting to think it might be time to be an adult with his own place.

  His almost-house needed a lot of work, which he planned to do slowly, but with his savings and next season’s salary, he had enough money to be able to afford the down payment and the bills and to give his mom more than enough to cover her bills as well. The place was bright yellow with lime-green trim and a whole herd of plastic flamingos in the yard, but Blair kind of liked it that way. He also liked the big windows and the original pitted wood floors, the pretty old woodwork, and the way that, if he sat on his front porch, he could see a sliver of the ocean. It was exactly what he wanted. And also it was a place for Sander to visit without his mom overhearing. Which had become really awkward.

  Sander chuckled. “Yes, we can drive by the tipsy pineapple. How long until the deal closes?” He’d been calling Blair’s house the tipsy pineapple, or TP for short, ever since he saw the bright yellow-and-green scheme. Blair thought it was fitting, to be honest. He’d thought about getting a sign made for the front door.

  “Three weeks I think? At least it was a pretty open-and-shut sale.”

  “How are we going to christen it?” Sander cupped a hand on Blair’s thigh and let it trail higher slowly.

  “I think you can figure out a way.”

  THREE HOURS, one nap, and one trip to the tipsy pineapple just so Blair could fall in love all over again, and he was nearly late for the party. Tony’s nachos were all assembled and ready to put under the broiler at the Orchid Palms, Sander was showered and changed and looking gorgeous if not impatient, and everything was settled. Literally.

  “Are you ready to get a move on, finally?” Sander said. He checked his cell phone and rolled his eyes good-naturedly when he saw they were nearly half an hour late. Blair looked at the guy he never thought he’d get, thought about the life he never thought he’d have, and grinned.

  “Yeah. I think I a
m.”

  Exclusive Excerpt

  A Coconut Cove Story

  Lights, camera… wardrobe?

  Coconut Cove is the newest hot sensation. The glitzy teen drama set in the beach lover’s paradise of Key West is the talk of every gossip rag eager for dirt and hookup news on the hot young actors—like Levi Phillips, who plays the show’s resident bad boy.

  Levi’s attraction to costume designer Whit heads into high romance when Whit orders Levi out of his clothes—in an attempt to save Levi from heat exhaustion, of course.

  Sassy Whit knows just how to dress, and undress, Levi, and soon the sexy duo are steaming it up offscreen, which is no surprise to their friends and castmates.

  But love in the public eye is complicated, and rumors pose challenges that can threaten careers and love….

  Coming Soon to

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Chapter One

  ROBBIE STEPPED onto the porch of the dilapidated bungalow he shared with his mother, being careful to skip the second step because it creaked. He opened the screen before unlocking the door and stepping quietly inside.

  It was pitch-black outside. Several of the street lamps were out, and no one had bothered to replace them. Not that they would on this part of the island. Robbie didn’t live in the prettily painted houses of Coconut Cove, where the sun shone brightly, reflecting only the beautiful, clean, and fit for tourists.

  No, he lived farther out, away from the million-dollar houses and perfect white-sand beaches.

  “Robbie? That you?”

  His mom sounded tired. She coughed, and a billow of smoke poured from her mouth. “Ma, you said you weren’t going to smoke in the house anymore.”

  “I know, baby. I’m sorry. Needed the pick-me-up today.” She sat at their tiny two-person kitchen table dressed in faded scrubs. He thought it was ridiculous that they made her wear them to clean the fucking hospital rooms.

  Robbie sighed and slipped his leather jacket from his shoulders. “Why are you still up? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

  She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I just got up. Picked up an extra shift at the hospital, so I’m working a double today. And why are you just getting home?”

  “Was at a party with some friends. At the beach.”

  “Oh, that’s good. You still wearing your daddy’s jacket?”

  Robbie shrugged and slung it over his shoulder. “I think it makes me look like James Dean.”

  His mom laughed and pushed herself to her feet. He knew the James Dean reference would make her smile. She loved the old Hollywood heartthrob. “You shouldn’t stay out so late, Robbie. You’ve got to do good in school, get out of here.”

  “I will, Ma. I’ll take care of everything. Don’t worry.”

  She patted his cheek as she went out the front door. Robbie locked it behind her and thumped his head against the frame.

  WHITNEY SIGHED, the sound lost over the noise of the dryer tumbling away the latest load of sweat-soaked T-shirts he had to clean, then iron, then file in the correct spot. Who knew being a wardrobe designer came with so much laundry? Well, he did, actually, but the perks were worth it. He eyed the racks of designer clothes, organized by character, with an unhealthy amount of glee. Ninety percent of them weren’t his style, but just having them here, knowing he’d ordered them, that he would get the chance to order lots more. Yeah. Glee.

  The timer on the dryer hadn’t dinged, so Whit went back to one of the many tabs he had open on his laptop. There were definite perks to this job. Speaking of… he rapidly keyed in a few strokes, opening a designer’s site he’d forgotten to check. His squeal of excitement would have shattered eardrums, if anyone were around.

  “What the hell, Whit?”

  Oh. Someone was around. “Hey, Levi.”

  The actor stumbled into the room and collapsed into one of the overstuffed chairs Whitney had purloined from storage. The house—well, mansion, really—they used as their base of operations for Coconut Cove had been furnished with lots of bright, tropical-patterned furniture. What the design team didn’t want to use in some random set, they’d cast aside. He’d called dibs on a couple of chairs, because he could.

  He focused his attention back on the actor who’d stopped by. Running his mind through the day’s call list, Whit realized he didn’t have a wardrobe change on the books for Levi. Actually, the actor didn’t look so hot. Well, he looked too hot. Overly hot. As in temperature. Not looks. Well, in looks too. Hell, everyone on the cast was insanely hot. Not the point.

  “Levi? You okay?”

  He really didn’t look so good. Whitney rushed over to Levi’s side and found him paler than he should be. He was also sweating profusely.

  “Fuck, Levi. Talk to me.”

  “Just tired. And hot.”

  “Oh hell.” Whitney ran to the little fridge he kept in the corner of the room and grabbed as many bottles of water as he could carry. Then he hurried back and dropped them on the floor in front of Levi. He opened one and handed it over. “Here. Drink this. Now.”

  Levi complied as Whitney knelt in front of him and began unlacing the black leather boots Levi wore as Robbie, Coconut Cove’s resident bad boy. He noticed absently that Levi had carried in the black leather jacket Robbie wore as his signature piece and dropped it on the floor by the chair. He would have bitched at the carelessness if he weren’t so worried.

  “What’re you doing?” Levi asked after he lowered the bottle. It was half-empty. Good.

  “Taking your clothes off.”

  “Oh yeah?” Levi lifted his eyebrow wickedly.

  Whitney tsked absently. “I need to cool you down.”

  “If you’re taking my clothes off, the opposite’s gonna happen, Whit.”

  “Just focus. You look like you’ve got heat stroke.”

  “You don’t want my body?”

  Anybody would. With his sleek skin, rippling muscles, and long muscular frame, Levi Phillips was gorgeous, and Whitney lusted after him as much as anyone.

  But at the moment, he was more worried about the man having a seizure. “I want your body out of these clothes before you pass out.”

  More Coconut Cove Stories

  A Coconut Cove Story

  Life’s a beach… and then you meet the guy of your dreams.

  Flynn Wright’s role on the upcoming teen drama Coconut Cove means a fresh start in the land of crystal water, palm trees, and gorgeous people. The move to the beautiful beaches of Key West, Florida—and away from LA and his conniving ex—is just what Flynn needs.

  Meeting sexy bartender Seth is the cherry on top of Flynn’s colorful frozen drink, and he can’t wait to take a taste. But Seth isn’t impressed by Flynn’s Hollywood good looks, nor is he interested in the complications of dating an actor, no matter how hot.

  Can Flynn dodge his scheming ex and the eager paparazzi while showing Seth that he is more than a pretty package?

  More from M.J. O’Shea

  Game, set… match made in heaven.

  Spoiled socialite Quinn Valenzuela has no interest in sports or his family’s huge sporting goods empire, Sparta Athletics. So when Quinn learns his grandfather has died and he’s in control of the corporation, no one is more surprised than Quinn himself.

  Dedicated COO Porter Davis has little time and less patience for brats like Quinn who have never done a day’s work, but circumstances leave him with little choice. Quinn claims he’s ready to leave partying behind and grow up, but it’ll take more than words to earn Porter’s respect. As it turns out, they can work—and play—together after all. A friends with benefits arrangement makes sense for the two busy men, but are they too different for it to ever develop into more? Not if Quinn can convince Porter he has his head in the game.

  Forever is too long to be alone.

  Professor Avery Cook has spent his career researching the mysterious side of New Orleans. Superstitions, legends, and lore—Avery has an academic explanation for all of them….
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  Until one night when he walks into a bar and his life changes.

  In a sea of impossibly beautiful people, Tyson stands out, and he sweeps Avery off his feet with his old-world charm and romanticism. But there’s a darkness in Tyson too, and Avery discovers Tyson is part of a world he thought existed only in books and stories—the paranormal tales he studies at the university.

  Tyson’s been lonely for a long time, and he’s falling in love with Avery. But his past is a long one, and it’s full of enemies and danger. The best way to keep Avery safe is to push him away….

  Lights, camera, lies.

  Kerry Pickering has a problem. As a publicist for Hollywood bad boy Jericho Knox, it’s Kerry’s job to keep Jericho in the news. So far, Jericho’s partying and public escapades have made it easy. But Jericho has a secret, and when that secret is revealed in the most spectacularly disastrous way, it’s up to Kerry to spin it.

  The team decides the best course of action is to make the public fall in love—with Jericho’s secret committed relationship. The one that doesn’t exist. Yet.

  The team wants someone they can trust. Someone in the inner circle. That someone is Kerry. But what will happen when Kerry realizes that for him, the romance is no longer pretend? Can Jericho love him back, or is he just playing a role?

  It was her special day… but his worst nightmare.