Page 24 of Lovers Like Us
Maximoff rubs his jaw. “Maybe I am, but you don’t need to worry about troll accounts and my plausible death with no sleep at whatevera.m.”
“It’s my job,” I remind him. I deal with this so he doesn’t have to. “I’m flagging this fucking account to be taken down.” And that’ll be the end of that. My gut instinct says differently, but I let it go fornow.
Just as I report the account, an aggressive knock raps thedoor.
Maximoff slides off the bed at the exact same time as me. The knock practically electrocuted him into action. We exchange a look that says,I’m answering the door. Stayback.
He’s too stubborn to listen, and I love seeing him try to catch up to me too much to let him goahead.
We bolt to the door and race to be the first. I’m already out in front. “I thought you planned to sleep,” I say, about to grab thedoorknob.
His arm bangs into mine, but I clutch the knob first, smilewidening.
Maximoff barely steps back, squeezing his build against my build. “I thought I told you that I open my owndoors.”
“Number 52 on your list of rules. I remember.” I lower my voice to a whisper. “I remember everything…but see, this isourdoor.”
His forest-greens drop to my mouth and my lip piercing. He also layers on a half-hearted glare. “Pretty sure formythings to becomeyourthings, we’d need a legal bindingagreement.”
Shock ratchets up my brows. “Marriage?”
“No,” he says definitively, shutting thatdown.
I roll my eyes. I know he’s exaggerating his point, but he’s more defensive than usual. “Technically, you don’t own the lake house,” I tell him. “So it’s not even yourdoor.”
Maximoff groans and sends a daggered glare to theceiling.
“Was that glare meant for me or the lightfixtures?”
“The lights,” he says. “This is for you.” He gives me a middlefinger.
I laugh a short laugh, and just as he tries to reach for the knob, I turn it and swing the dooropen.
Oscar Oliveira stands on the other side, brown hair curly and damp like he just showered. He steadies a cream cheese bagel near hismouth.
Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, Maximoff looks ready for hell and back. His resolve is fuckingsexy.
I tell Oscar, “I didn’t sign up for the Oscar Oliveira Wake Up Call.” I lean on the doorframe.
Oscar’s eyes drift from me to Maximoff, who stands rigid only one-foot away in boxer-briefs. His muscles are front-page-worthy, his defined V-line disappearing beneath his waistband. His lips are a little reddened from earlier, and his usually combed hair is wild andunkempt.
Mine isn’t much different. I smooth my hair back with twohands.
Oscar fastens his gaze on me, not able to restrain a smile. “It’s almost growing on me. You two…together.” He bites into his bagel. “Though I didn’t realize you like them young,Redford—”
“You don’t realize a lot of things, Oliveira,” I cut him off, “still, we try not to hold it againstyou.”
He laughs into anotherbite.
Maximoff stands sturdy, layering on authority like he’s commanding a boardroom. “I’m not young or naïve,” he says, his firm tone instantly quieting Oscar. “And if you’re here just to shoot the shit, tell me. Because I could besleeping.”
Okay, that washot.
Oscar wipes cream cheese off the corner of his mouth with his thumb. “I’m here as acourtesy.”
“What do you mean?” Iask.
Oscar licks his thumb, but his expression is more serious. “Lily and Lo just got here.” He looks at Maximoff. “Your parents said they’d wait until you woke up to talk, but I thought you’d appreciate an extrawarning.”
