Page 105 of Only Between Us

I don’t have it in me to pour my heart into another relationship that, at best, has me lonely and missing him. And at worst, ends up being yet another time I wasn’t worth holding on to.

“I’m not your birth parents. And I’m nothing like Tom.”

“I know you’re not.” He already means more to me than Tom ever did. There’d be no bouncing back if things went the same way.

Brooks rubs his face in both hands, muttering “Thomas fucking Ivers” under his breath. “So, what now? You think this can’t go anywhere, so you cut it off today?”

“I wasn’t going to cut it off. You still haven’t been signed, and it matters to me that you are. I’m with you until you leave. In the meantime… we enjoy this for what it is.”

“Siena,” Brooks’s stare could cut through concrete, “if you call us fake, I swear to God I will lose it.”

“It’s not fake. It’s… an expirationship. We keep this light and fun until you move, and then it ends. Exactly how we planned from the start. No harm, no foul.”

For some reason, that only seems to amuse Brooks. He closes the gap between us. My breath catches when he cups the nape of my neck and brings me closer. Brushes our lips together.

“Yeah? You think you can keep this going, and then see me off across the country in a few weeks with nothing but a smile on that pretty face?”

I swallow. “Yes.”

He crushes his mouth on mine and damn it, I’m instantly moaning. I almost lose my grip on my coffee. Because whether I like it or not, there’s a whole lot ofrightnessin the way Brooks kisses me—the way our lips move in perfect sync.

Brooks pulls away abruptly, and stares down at what must be a dazed look on my face with a smirk on his own.

“Liar.” He slips something into the pocket of my skirt. The fob to the white car. “Now, get in your shiny new car and get to work.”

I finger the fob. “You know you don’t have to buy me stuff, right? I meant what I said yesterday. I like you without all that.”

“I know. You’re nothing like her.” He assesses me. “You stole my car because you’re afraid. And you’re afraid because you have real feelings for me. Do I have that wrong?”

My heart melts for him all over again. “No. You’re not wrong.”

He presses a kiss to my temple. “Good. And just so you’re aware? You aren’t an afterthought to me. You arethethought. From the moment I wake up to the second I fall asleep. It’s you.”

Brooks doesn’t wait for me to say anything. He heads for the driver’s seat of the black car as a voice in my head cackles, in absolute hysterics.You are so screwed. You really think you can let him go?

He’s reliable and trustworthy. Emotionally available and he cares about me. That’s what makes me gather the nerve to stop him before he gets into his car.

“Brooks, can I ask you for something?” I wait until he turns. “If I needed you to handle things with my landlord—nonviolently—would you be able to help me?”

I can’t remember the last time I had the heart to say the wordshelp me. Not even the night Dad caught me pilfering their kitchen. But I trust Brooks to have my back, and this is one problem I’m not stupid enough to try to handle on my own.

Brooks stands perfectly still, maybe recognizing how monumental a moment this is. “Siena, I would help you with anything, no questions asked. What do you need?”

“I think he was sneaking into my place before you fixed that lock—fuck, please don’t kill him.” I wince when Brooks swears, shoves agitated hands through his hair, and laces his fingers on top of his head. “Maybe just a stern talking-to, to tide me over until I move in with my mom.”

“You’re moving in with me.” He holds up a hand when I start to interrupt. “Call it the expirationship special. You want light and fun? You let me move you in until you find another place to live. Otherwise, I give you everything you don’t want. Romantic dates. Talking about our feelings. Beating this landlord to a bloody pulp.”

Terrible idea. The worst yet.

“Okay,” I say anyway. “Just until I find somewhere else. And I’m giving you the car back.”

“That car doesn’t legally belong to me, so best of luck with that.” Brooks holds out an open palm, crooks his fingers. “Now, give your temporary boyfriend the keys to your place and let him deal with this.”

Chapter35Brooks

“I’m half joking when I say this, but are you sure about this girl?”

I watch Parker scan the wall behind Siena’s soft green sofa just a few feet from the kitchen, where I’m wrapping up her dinner plates destined for a storage locker. He’s staring with a mixture of mirth and alarm at Siena’s crudely reworked vacation pictures, where Shy’s face now sits over her ex’s.

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