Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 679(@200wpm)___ 543(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Knox’s brows went up. “Oh. To, like, make them? But I don’t know how much I’d need, and how long to fry them. If I end up feeding him raw batter, because they’re not ready inside, won’t he… die? Or at least, get really sick?”
Did Ezra just pale or was it a trick of the light? “Wait a minute, when you asked if I ‘had’ pancakes, did you mean ready-to-eat ones?”
There was definitely judgment in that question.
“Mmm… maybe?” Knox bit his lip, feeling like a scolded dog.
Ezra shook his head. “No, no, no. You’re learning how to make pancakes right now.”
“I am?” Knox asked, staring as Ezra grabbed the flour from the drawer. “That would actually be kinda amazing. Liv won’t believe me when I tell him I made them myself.”
“It’s really easy once you get the hang of it. And you don’t even have to tell him you had help.” Ezra grinned at him. “I can tell you from experience that a breakfast in bed can get you far in life.” He followed that with a comment about Knox lacking a basic life skill, but when Knox told him about his mom never being around much when he was growing up, Ezra’s demeanor softened. But he still made Knox do most of the work “so that he remembered”.
Much faster than Knox expected, they ended up with a whole stack of fresh pancakes. In the meantime, Ezra had fried some bacon in a pan right next to Knox’s, so everything was hot at the same time.
And while Knox couldn’t wait to wake up Liv to a feast, he and Ezra shared one maple syrup-drizzled, bacon-topped pancake. The food was heaven in Knox’s mouth, and he moaned so loudly Frank might get suspicious if he heard it from somewhere outside.
“Oh, my God! I think these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had. And I made them? Wow.”
“You did. Bravo,” Ezra said with a fond smile and slow-clapped for emphasis.
Knox wasn’t sure whether he was being mocked or not but decided to not hold a grudge and took both coffee and the food on a tray, heading out to surprise his man.
Was that a weird way to think about Liv?
Liv. Liver Polk. The asshole who always took the last slice of pizza. The guy who stood up for him at school and got beat up for it. His best friend.
They were more than that now, even though he didn’t know how to call their new relationship. But they fucked and had hidden a body together, so that had to count for something, right?
It was just hard to shed the idea that he should be competing with a guy instead of pining for him. They’d work it out though, just like they did between the sheets.
Knox slipped into their temporary bedroom with a tray he could be proud of, glad to already hear Liv’s voice, but when Liv didn’t respond to his greeting, a cold sensation settled in his gut.
Still curled up under the blanket, Liver was shaking, his legs contracting as if he were trying to run or free himself. One of his hands was stretched away from his body though and clawed at air as he moaned a faint, “No. No no no...”
Knox put the tray on the desk so fast he spilled some coffee and dropped to his knees on the bedding. “Liv? Liv? Livvy?”
Chapter 21
Liv
The foundation ditch was a black abyss sucking in all the light, but Knox’s form was showcased like a circus act, with the blood pouring from the four wounds in his chest shimmering like glitter. The rods that impaled him twisted all the way to the sky as he took his last breath, reaching for Liv without a word.
Desperation pulled Liv closer, but just as he was about to step into the air, to sink into the void or touch him for the last time, something collided with the side of his head and knocked him into the dirt.
“No!” he cried as Knox disappeared from sight. But when he tried to get up, his limbs refused to move, as if he’d been paralyzed. Increasingly frantic, he trembled, attempting to move without success. The world spun when Vlad pulled on the front of Liv’s top. The ugly bastard looked just like he had on his last day, so maybe it was his ghost haunting Liv and sinking his knee to his chest to keep Liv from breathing?
Powerless to save himself or comfort Knox, he watched as Vlad’s massive fist flew into the air. It descended onto him, over and over. Each blow had Liv’s vision blurring, his ears echoing with the distant sound of Knox’s cries, until his skull cracked and—
The amount of air flowing into his lungs as his eyes opened choked him, but when he tried to rise, ready to fight, warm arms closed around his chest and held him down.