Page 145 of Lovers Like Us

“Jesus,” I breathe. And I draw towardshim.

He leans back on the Fizzle machine, but his lips inch up at me coming closer. He takes a swig of soda. “That’s the story that no one ever got butyou.”

I appreciate it more than he’ll probably ever know. “Whyme?”

“You’re a good listener,” Farrow says matter-of-factly. “And I have a thing foryou.”

I lick my lips and feel my fuckingsmile.

“Just so you know,” he says huskily, “the thingyouhave formeis ten timesbigger.”

I try to glare, but it’s difficult. “I have a tiny, fragmented thing for you. Thanks forasking.”

“You’re welcome, wolf scout.” He smiles into anotherswig.

I think I can speak. Find the words. Grab them. Say them. I breathe. “I’m afraid for my brother. I’m afraid this’ll happen again with a worse outcome, and I just want him to be okay.” I swallow. “What’s also getting to me is that today—it’ll stay with Kinney for the rest of her fucking life.” I crack my neck from side-to-side, my bonesstiff.

“What about you?” Farrow asks, and off my confusion, he says, “It’ll stay with youtoo.”

“I can handle it.” I laugh at a thought. Of where we are. “I’m standing in a hotel vendingarea.”

Farrow frowns. “I’m notfollowing.”

I take a rough breath. “So when I was twelve, I went to Disneyland, and back at the hotel, I left for a vending area.” I gesture to the machines. “Just like this. I slid down and just cried. My dad found me, hugged me, and that’s when I asked him if my mom was a sex addict. I’d heard rumors…and that’s where he saidyes.” I look up at Farrow. “The memory is with me, but it’s not eating at me. The ones that hurt my family—those almost get tome.”

“Almost,” he repeats, studying myfeatures.

I open and close one hand in a fist. My body tensing. I rotate my neck again. “I swear it’s like I have two switches:rageoroff. Sometimes I’m programmed for automaticshutdown.”

“It’s a survival instinct,” hesays.

I give him a look. “I thought you said I was desensitized to my owndeath.”

His barbell ratchets up with his brows. “Trust me, you are, but when other people are in danger, you have to survive to help them.” He adds, “Corpses don’t savepeople.”

“You’re right, they eatpeople.”

He rolls his eyes into a laugh. “You would take it to zombies.” His gaze practically brushes mycheekbones.

I step closer, my knee hits the machine, our legs threaded. I’m alright to be touched, and he sees. Swiftly, he holds my jaw and I clutch the back of his neck, our mouths a centimeter away. Hard chests pressingtogether.

Warmth spreads through my body. I breathe and breathe and fucking breathe.Kissme.

“Hey—”

I instantly break apart from Farrow at Quinn’svoice.

He holds the empty duffel. “I thought you could use this to carry the drinks back.” He nods to the Fizzle machine behind Farrow. “I canhelp.”

“We have it,” Farrow says, his hand casually planted on mywaist.

Quinn rubs the back of his neck. “Okay, so I actually wanted to ask you something alone.” He’s looking atme.

“Alright.” I swig mysoda.

“I’ve been wondering if there’s anything else about Luna I shouldknow.”

Once Luna flies back to Philly, her bodyguard has to fly back too. It’ll be the first time Quinn is away fromFarrowwhile on-duty, for longer than aweek.