Sweetest Sorrow (Forbidden Book 2) by J.M. Darhower

small vanity. Right across the hall, she opened another door, knowing right away it had belonged to the boy. An old comforter lay on the small bed, the logo faded but still obvious. Batman . Chicago Cubs memorabilia was scattered throughout the room, a small bookcase along the side of the room with old children's books stacked up on it. Genna stepped over to it, scanning the titles before pulling one out. Where the Wild Things Are . The copy was old and faded, the pages yellowing, the binding loose, but it held together when she opened it.
    "What are you doing?" Matty's voice called out from the doorway behind her. Genna turned, seeing him standing there in nothing but jeans, sweat pouring down his bare chest, making his tattoos gleam in the sprawling sunlight, his tanned skin already sun-kissed, a hint of pink to it. He was filthy.
    "Being nosey," she admitted, holding up the book. "What are you doing?"
    "Trying to get the air conditioner running," he said, stepping into the room, his brow furrowing at the Batman comforter. He didn't comment on it, though. "There's a piece broken, so I'll need to find a store before I can fix it."
    "Hate to break it to you, Matty, but A.C. requires electricity."
    Matty stared at her as he reached over beside him, flicking the switch on the wall. The overhead light came on, flickering, before going right back out with a loud pop. Genna flinched, as Matty glowered at it. "Probably should grab some new light bulbs, too."
    "You got the power turned on? How?"
    He shrugged the question off. "Got the water running, too."
    Genna stared at him, eyes wide. "No shit?"
    "No shit."
    "Oh God, does that mean I can take a bath?"
    "Well…" He hesitated. "The hot water heater is busted, but otherwise…"
    Genna launched herself right at him, wrapping her arms around him. He laughed, nearly falling, and hugged her back. Nuzzling into his neck, Genna inhaled the scent of him, oddly comforted by the stale odor of dirt and sweat. Okay, that's totally gross . But he'd been hard at work while she'd been asleep, busting his ass, trying to make things okay like he's said they'd be.
    Tears stung her eyes, tears she couldn't hold back, as emotion consumed her. He was so good. So, so good . A Barsanti boy, one of the ones she'd been raised to see as the enemy, was doing everything in his power to make the world okay for her. Despite trying to swallow it back, she let out a sob, holding him as the tears fell.
    "Whoa," he said, rubbing her back. "What's wrong?"
    "Nothing," she cried. "Nothing's wrong."
    "Come on, Genna, baby, don't lie to me." He pulled back to look at her. "Why are you crying? Tell me."
    "I just…" Her voice cracked. "I love you so much ."
    Confusion took over Matty's expression before a smile touched his lips. Pulling her back to him, he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "You're pretty okay yourself, you know… for a Galante."
    All at once, the spell was broken. Genna let out a sharp laugh as she pushed him, the last few wayward tears streaming down her cheeks as she rolled her eyes. "Okay, Barsanti ."
    He stared at her. "Guess that's not us anymore, huh?"
    "It'll always be us… just nobody will know."
    Jen Gallivant . That was her name on the fake documents Matty had gotten, while his said Matthew Barton . Close enough to their real names for them to remember but a big enough difference that nobody would make the connection. Genna hated it. She hated everything about it. As much as she'd once despised him being a Barsanti, that was who she'd given her heart to. Matthew Barton was a fraud.
    She got it, though, as much as she hated it. Being them almost got them killed. They couldn't risk it.
    "Well, then, Matthew." She scowled as she said that name. "Since the water is working, I'm totally going to take a bath."
    "It'll be cold," he warned, "until the hot water heater gets fixed."
    "Pfft, as hot as it is in this place? It'll barely be room temperature."
    "Whatever you say." He