Page 40 of Quake

“That’s because you never actually asked a question.” She snorts, the sound sending a shiver of pleasure down my spine. “It seems you were toodistractedby something to finish your thought.”

I feel heat climb up my neck. “Apparently, that happens more often than not where you’re concerned.” I groan, gripping the back of my neck. “Why did you pass out today?”

“I had an episode of hypoglycemic unawareness.” She shrugs. “It’s when my blood sugar drops too low, but I don’t realize it’s happening because I don’t get the normal symptoms that others experience, which would alert them to the problem. I just, kind of, drop.” She shrugs. “Which is why I’ve got Tiny around to warn me and make sure I make it to the ground safely.”

“And that shot your dad gave you, that was something to raise your blood sugar?”

She nods. “It was.” Assessing me, she says, “How’d you know that was my dad? Have you known he owns your team this whole time?”

“I knew he owned the team, but I had no idea that you were related. I’d never seen you at any of our games before; I’d haveremembered if I had.” I duck my face for a moment, embarrassed by my sudden boldness. “What happened that made it drop so low, do you know?”

Her face contorts in a look of guilt. “Yeah.” She groans. “The cord to my fridge wasn’t plugged in all the way, so somehow it slipped out during the night, and I woke up with bad insulin. I used up what I had left from my stash at the clinic, but then I forgot to eat.”

“Are you okay now? Do you have enough?” If she didn’t, I’d make sure she did. I’m certain that between Rose, Kat, and Aiyana, they could get her whatever she needs, or I’d figure out another way.

“I do. I wasn’t expecting the next three weeks of medication to go bad, but I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home from the hospital. They also gave me a small supply when I got discharged, and I replaced my glucagon.”

I consider this, but I am not a fan of how sensitive this medication seems to be. “Would you want to keep a vial or however it works at my place? That way, if something happens to yours here, you know I’m just a stone’s throw away.”A stone’s throw?Who am I, a ninety-year-old?

Her eyes widen, and her lips part. “That’s, wow, that’s actually a super sweet offer. I mean, if you wouldn’t mind, that would honestly give me a lot of peace of mind. My dad, too, I’d imagine,” she says.

I nod, leaning back against the counter again and crossing my arms. “Alright, then it’s settled. Do you have a piece of paper I could write my door code down on for you? That way, you can grab it if you need it, even if I’m not home.”

Her light brows knit together. “You’d trust me with your door code?”

“No offense, but I’m not too worried about you beating me up. Honestly, I’d probably like it.” I smirk as heat creeps up her neck at my words.

She hops off the counter at that, scrambling around until she finds a hot-pink pack of sticky notes in the drawer. She groans, looking up at me in an expression I can’t quite decipher before she hands them to me with a pen.

As I peer down at the paper, a laughalmostescapes me, but I manage to muffle the strange snorting sound. “Are these what I think they are?”

She covers her face with both hands, dragging them down slowly. “Mama De Laurentiis book club merch? Absolutely.”

I suck my lips between my teeth, having to physically hold them shut to prevent the laughter threatening to escape me. These sticky notes are shaped like penises, and with that, there’s a faint shadow of cum dripping out of the tip. “Jesus Christ,” I breathe out. “Why is my mother like this?”

“I don’t know, but I kind of love it. You know, if it weren’t for her, her incredibly sexy son wouldn’t be standing in my kitchen staring down at my penis sticky notes.”

My lip turns up at that. “You think I’m sexy?”Where did this sudden playfulness come from? I’ve never been this frank with anyone in my entire life.

“Youknowyou’re sexy,” she says, rolling her eyes, strolling out of the kitchen and toward the dogs lounging lazily in the living room. I jot the door code down quickly, leaving it on the kitchen counter before joining her.

As I approach the dogs, I peer over at her. “I don’t know; he doesn’t seem too vicious,” I joke.

“You know, he doesn’t usually let people in the house, and he definitely doesn’t let them cage me in on the kitchen counter, so he must sense that you’re not a threat or something. Though it took him months to warm up to my dad, and he’s the best person I know.” She shakes her head, her wavy hair flying around her face.

“I’m glad I get the Rex seal of approval. Here’s to hoping this isn’t just his attempt to make me feel comfortable before a sneak attack.” I chuckle, the sound foreign to my own ears.

Lark’s head is tilted as she takes me in, a look of wonder on her face as if she’s not sure what to think of me. She runs the palms of her freckled hands down her bare, porcelain thighs nervously. “Wanna watch a movie? If you don’t have other plans, that is?”

A movie?When was the last time I watched a movie with someone outside of my family? No better time than the present, I suppose. “Sure, that sounds nice.”

I follow her to the couch, taking a seat on the opposite end of the light-gray sofa. “What kind of movies do you like?” I ask her, hoping she’ll suggest a rom-com or a Disney movie so I don’t have to. They’ve always been my favorite, but that’s kind of hard to admit to a woman I’m so desperately attracted to.

“I watch a little of everything, honestly. I love thrillers, horror, romantic comedies, cartoons, and Iloveanything with fast cars!”

“Horror, really?” I’m not going to lie, horror fucking terrifies me. I’ve got enough demons in my own mind. I don’t need them on a screen too.

“Yeah, but let’s skip that actually. I can’t sleep alone after watching one and, well, you know.” What she doesn’t say is the partabout her newlyhaving tosleep alone. And I can’t even begin to dissect the reason why I’m so damn thrilled about that. Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to not have to watch a fucking scary movie.

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