Page 20 of Wanted

Really damn cute in a way Liv never noticed before this stupid day, the hugging, the peck on the lips, the“babe”—

But this confusion had to stop, so he put on his own set of clothes. They fit him better than Knox’s and Liv faced him with a smile, glad Knox waited for him instead of going for the pizza slice with the most pepperoni. Liv intended to give it to him anyway, but itwasa nice gesture.

His stomach rumbled as if a teen garage band had made it their home. A weird impulse told him to let Knox through the door first, but he stopped himself in time. The stray thought was forgotten anyway once they reached the kitchen and saw Frank sitting in front of two massive plates of pizza.

Ezra leaned against the kitchen counter behind Frank with his arms crossed, like an elegant shadow.

“Liver? What kind of name is this?” Frank asked, glancing at their IDs, which he’d set on the table in front of him. He raised his eyebrows as they sat down like two dogs tempted by a fresh bowl of food.

Gah.

Liv scowled as he dropped into the chair, smelling the dough, the oil, the melted cheese… His stomach growled again, sounding as if a drunk man had fallen into a set of drums. Ezra placed a massive green salad between the steaming pies, unaware that his guests weren’t interested in rabbit food. After a moment’s hesitation, he also pushed the pepperoni pizza toward Liv, who tore off two massive pieces and folded them into a cheese and meat sandwich.

Biting in was bliss.

This damn pie was the best he’d ever had. But with Frank ogling him as if he were toxic waste about to infect the love of his life, Liver swallowed the first bite to speak.

“Yeah. That’s my name. And yes, everyone asks.”

“So good!” Knox mumbled with his mouth full, eating so fast it made his ears tremble.

Frank squinted. “Your parents got together, brainstormed, and decided that Liver was the best they could come up with?”

With his mouth stuffed full of greasy deliciousness, Liv nodded. He was tired of this damn story, which only proved that even his own parents thought he wasn’t worthy of real consideration, but he met Frank’s gaze.

“Dad really liked liver. Fried with onion, and shit. They actually decided to call me River, which would have been the coolest name ever, right? But when I was born and Dad went to register me, he thought calling me Liver instead would be funny.”

Or he’d been too drunk to spell right that day, which would have been a much less entertaining story.

Frank hummed. He was a strange mixture of calm and danger. Liv couldn’t decide yet if he could trust the guy, but his partner definitely softened Frank’s image.

“Offal is very healthy,” Ezra said, taking a seat in the chair next to Frank’s. He put some salad on his plate, and then a single slice of pizza.

“What’s offal?” Knox asked between swallowing and taking another massive bite.

“Organ meat. Liver, Heart, brains,” Ezra said patiently, chewing his salad.

Liv scowled. “Ew. Nah, thanks, I’d rather have the pizza. I didn’t know real pizzerias delivered all the way here, wow.”

“And while we’re at this,” Knox said, “Where ishere?”

Liv blinked and put his arm around him on impulse. Knox was warm, and his damp, longish hair dripped water onto Liv’s forearm. “Y—yeah. Are we in Canada?”

Knox stiffened for a moment but didn’t pull away or complain. He was now Liv’s boyfriend after all.

Frank shook his head. “Pennsylvania. But you won’t be sightseeing any time soon. You’ll sleep in my workshop, and I’ll have jobs for you in the morning.”

“Your clothes should be washed and dried by then.” Ezra gave them a polite smile as he cut into his slice of pizza with a knife like a dainty old lady in a sitcom Liv watched as a kid.

Liv sighed in relief. “You two are the best people,” he said and made another pizza sandwich just as Knox finished his. With laughter rumbling deep in his throat, Liv turned to face him. He moved the folded bits next to his mouth as he spoke. “Look, I’m a duck.”

Knox snort-laughed and shoved at him. “Shut up! I’m eating! Now I can’t swallow!”

Liv spoke without thinking and wiggled his eyebrows at Knox. “That’s not what you said last night.”

Knox laughed harder, having to hide his full mouth. “I’m gonna choke if you keep doing this.”

Liv grinned and rolled the pizza sandwich into a tube which he poked at Knox’s face. “That also sounds familiar.”