Page 118 of Lovers Like Us

He blinks rapidly a few times. “I’mhigh.”

Shit.

“What?” Lo laughs. “You’rekidding.”

Maximoff cringes. “I’m not. I ate an edible and it tasted like shit.” He rubs his face. “I can take care of Luna. This isn’t a reflection of the tour…she’s not around drugs or anything. Ipromise.”

“I trust you,” he says confidently. “Yourlip?”

“Fight with Charlie. It’snothing.”

He winces. “I wish you two wouldjust—”

“So does everyone,” Maximoff cuts him off, and he stares at one spot on the floor. Breathing through his nose, pale. We’re encroaching 98% close to pukinghere.

I put a hand on his back. Guiding him up. When he stands, he’s more in control. “I’ll be back,” he says, dropping the phone. He leaves for thebathroom.

Just as I reach for the phone, Lo says, “Farrow?”

Either he knows I’ve been here or it’s a shot in the dark. Whatever the case, I decide to answer. Let’s see what he has tosay.

I flip the camera towards my face, and I take a seat, elbows to my knees. Hunched forward. Casual. I fix my earring that keepsloosening.

His amber eyes dagger me, but I didn’t expect anything softer. “Maximoff isn’t inearshot?”

“Right,” Isay.

“I need to know something.” He’s walking around, chatter and voices echoing throughout the lake house, and then he slips into a bathroom. Quiet, more private, and he asks me, “How long have you wanted to be withhim?”

I take out my earring to adjust the backing. “Since I realized he wanted to be with me and not just sleep withme.”

He takes a seat on the edge of a tub. “When was that? Before or after you were hired tosecurity?”

“Way after, Lo.” I fit my earring back in. “Around the time I became hisbodyguard.”

His brows cinch. “But you knew he liked you beforethat?”

I pop my gum. “Back on Lily’s detail, sometimes I could tell he was attracted to me, but I knew he wouldn’t act onit.”

“You weren’t attracted to him then?” he asks, voiceedged.

I look away and comb a hand through my hair. “You’re asking hardshit.”

“How is that hard?” hesnaps.

“Because he’s…” I roll my eyes and say clearly, “He’s yourson.”

Lo drills an iced glare. “He was my son before you slept with him, too. But that didn’t stop you from talking to methen.”

I rub my bottom lip. “Okay, but I don’t want you to revisit all the conversations we’ve ever had in the past and think that I was standing therepiningafteryour son. Iwasn’t.”

Lo clenches his jaw. “I want to believe you, but I’m finding it difficult trusting you for some strange reason. Oh wait, I remember why.” He flashes a dry half-smile.

“How about we start over?” Iask.

Lo is petty, and I’m not surprised when he says, “Maybe, maybe not.” He waves me to continue. “You never answered me.” About being attracted toMaximoff…

I chew my gum slowly. “I wasn’t always single, Lo. Did I care about Maximoff? Yeah. Was I attracted to Maximoff, three, four years ago?Yeah, but I can be attracted to men and never date them or fuck them. Shit, I wouldn’t even call us friends. We were barely acquaintances back then.” I shake my head in thought. “He was young, and I was doing my ownthing.”