Page 72 of Winter’s Teeth

I flopped back over onto my back, thoroughly impressed. “Where do you find and watch all these movies?”

“I have subscriptions to most online services, but when I was younger, I used to hit up the library’s collection all the time.”

“Who took you?”

A few beats of silence passed before he finally said, “Arthur did. We were closer back then.”

“What about your parents?”

“Pushed out by the rest of the family because they didn’t want to follow the traditions anymore.”

I frowned. “Do you know where they are?”

“Nope. Contact was entirely forbidden and cut off. I don’t even know if they’re alive.”

Sorrow welled up in my chest, choking me and making it hard to breathe or blink without summoning tears. “I’m sorry.”

“It is what it is.” So hollow. So resigned to it. I wanted to hug him to make it better, but I knew it would be a pointless mission.

“What about your parents? What’s the deal with them?”

I shrugged easily, as there was no love there and no loss. “Dad had an affair. He hooked up with a hot doctor right after Everly was born. Said hot doctor dumped me on him nine months later, then bailed, and Everly’s mom took out all her anger on me for it. Dad didn’t do much to stop it, and he hated me more when I chose a science major since it reminded him of my real mom.”

A low grunt, almost a growl, issued from the back of his throat. Followed up by a muttering of choice curse words for my parents.

“Yeah. My sentiments exactly,” I said drily. “But I honestly don’t know what else I would have picked. I love environmental science. I mean, I dropped out and probably won’t finish anytime soon, but maybe one day I’ll be a big shot scientist saving the planet.”

“I can see it.” The approval, the pride in his voice, were enough to leave me smiling despite the circumstances.

“My dad really hates unselfish things, too, and environmental science is the definition of selflessness. Giving up all our comforts and what we know to save a dying world. Dad just doesn’t get it. He never will, but Everly gets it. Everly loves it and encourages me all the time. If I didn’t have her, I probably would have ended up in juvie a long time ago.”

Fox snorted.

“I’ll admit I didn’t make things totally easy on everyone growing up. I was practically raised in the ax throwing gym during my tween and teen years. I was difficult, stubborn, and a bit wild, but they blamed me for their messes. I was just meeting expectations going forward.”

Fox’s hand stretched up over his head to find mine. He gave it a squeeze. “Sounds like it was deserved.”

“Yeah.” My voice cracked, and tears burned behind my eyes out of nowhere. “Yeah, it was.”

I rolled over swiftly then, before I lost all nerve, and planted my lips on his.

I almost lost him again today, and every minute I was learning what a selfless, amazing guy he really was. Sure, his life was messier than mine, and I really didn’t need that right now, but like Everly... He just got it. Everything. I didn’t have to over explain. I didn’t have to justify things.

Fox understood me.

And he liked what he saw.

I liked what I saw, too.

He jolted, a little taken aback at first by my sudden kiss, but as I started to pull back, his hand found the back of my head and threaded into my hair to hold me there.

I melted after that, sinking into his lips, letting my head bob and turn, experimenting with new angles. Each press of his lips was warm and inviting, and when his tongue stroked my bottom lip, asking for entrance, I opened up to him without hesitation.

We were both pathetically alone, but his kisses chased that feeling away with ease.

I shifted, righting the position of my body so our heads and feet faced the same direction. He turned on his side to meet me halfway, cupping the back of my head and the side of my face in his strong, sure hands.

My fingers snuck around his neck, up into his damp hair, and caressed his skin tenderly, remembering all too well how he’d been yanked around earlier by his scalp.