Damaged Like Us

**Damaged Like Us** is the first book in the Addicted Series spin-off Like Us Series by Krista and Becca Ritchie. It is the first book to follow Farrow Keene and Maximoff Hale's romance.

## Summary

***Don’t date your bodyguard.***

​**It was the one rule he had to break.**

Maximoff Hale is a force of nature. A ship unwilling to be steered. Headstrong, resilient, and wholly responsible — the twenty-two-year-old alpha billionaire can handle his unconventional life. By noon, lunch can turn into a mob of screaming fans. By two, his face is all over the internet.

Born into one of the most famous families in the country, his celebrity status began at birth.

He is certified American royalty.

When he’s assigned a new 24/7 bodyguard, he comes face-to-face with the worst case scenario: being attached to the tattooed, MMA-trained, Yale graduate who’s known for “going rogue” in the security team — and who fills 1/3 of Maximoff's sexual fantasies.

Twenty-seven-year-old Farrow Keene has one job: protect Maximoff Hale. Flirting, dating, and hot sex falls far, far out of the boundary of his bodyguard duties and into “termination” territory. But when feelings surface, protecting the sexy-as-sin, stubborn celebrity becomes increasingly complicated.

Together, boundaries blur, and being exposed could mean catastrophic consequences for both.

## Book Overview

**Chapter 1:** The story begins with Maximoff Hale waiting at his parents' store Superheroes & Scones with Akara Kitsuwon for his new bodyguard to arrive. Akara won't tell him anything about this new bodyguard. A few minutes later, Farrow Keene, the bodyguard for Maximoff's mother arrives. Maximoff learns quickly that Farrow, his childhood crush is becoming his new bodyguard.

**Chapter 3:** Maximoff is driving to the townhouse home with Farrow and reviewing his list of rules with Farrow. The car gets boxed in by paparazzi and Farrow manages to get them to go away.

**Chapter 4-8:** Later, there's a flashback to when Jane Cobalt (Maximoff's cousin and best friend) told Maximoff about her plan to find an ambition before graduating college with her degree in maths. In the present, Jane is trying cake decorating and has bought out a bakery for a few hours so Xander (Maximoff's younger brother) will come. Xander freaks out though when #PhillyBakery starts trending on Twitter and despite saying they would go Luna and Kinney (Maximoff's sisters), stay home with Xander.

* Jane has a new bodyguard, Quinn Oliveira, who is still "earning his stripes" by being trained by Farrow. A few days later, Farrow is asked by his boss to ask Maximoff if the Charity Camp Away event is being opened to the public. Meanwhile, Jane is trying her hand at being a masseuse by massaging Maximoff's back. She's quite bad at it and when she accidentally pinches a nerve, Farrow takes over and shows her how to give a massage.

**Chapter 9:** After the massage, Luna calls Maximoff but won't talk. She texts him saying she's coming over to the townhouse. Farrow organizes with Luna's bodyguard (J.P.) for Farrow to escort her inside the townhouse from the street. Luna's escorted inside and Farrow makes some saline solution for her tongue infection. She'd pierced her tongue with a sewing needle. Farrow asks Maximoff about his charity event and Maximoff tells him that there'll be a raffle this year.

**Chapter 10:** At Studio 9, Maximoff has a meeting with Price Kepler, Thatcher Moretti and Akara (the three leads of the security teams) about the Camp-Away event while the rest of Security Force Omega talk about Luna's tongue piercing. After the meeting, Akara informs them that they'll be given a week to background check everyone coming to the event.

**Chapter 11-12:** Maximoff sets up to go mini-golfing with his siblings and five of his cousins. After the paparazzi bombard them, all but Jane go home. After he signs putt-putt balls and takes photos with fans, Maximoff and Farrow go to an Irish pub in South Philadelphia. Maximoff gets to know Farrow better. Jane and Quinn join them soon after. Jane's about to order coffee when a bartender comes up to the table and insults her. Maximoff gets only angrier when the bartender starts insulting his mother, Lily Calloway, and Luna. He punches the bartender and the four of them leave. This episodes gets blown up by media and they use it to once again compare Ryke to Maximoff, which is a sore subject for him.

**Chapter 13:** Later, Maximoff and Farrow go to a club so Maximoff can find a one-night-stand. Farrow's feeling jealous and doesn't want Maximoff to find someone. Moffy does find someone, but changes his mind and heads home. While Farrow and Maximoff drive back to the townhouse. Farrow asks what's going on between them and says he'd kiss him if he could.

**Chapter 14-15:** When they get back to the townhouse, in the garage, they make out. They get interrupted by Maximoff's phone ringing. It's his dad, Loren Hale, calling to tell Maximoff that their lunch date with his uncles, Connor Cobalt and Ryke Meadows is postponed because of parent-teacher meetings. Connor's son, Ben, and Ryke's daughter, Winona, had spray-painted 'frog killers' on their school's science lab. After the call, Farrow and Maximoff talk about their new relationship and what it means.

**Chapter 16:** Maximoff goes on his lunch date as it was rescheduled to the previous time because Connor smooth-talked Dalton Academy. They eat tacos and Ryke asks why Maximoff's ashamed to look like him (Maximoff dyes his naturally dark hair light to match his father's shade of brown). Later on, Maximoff asks which type of lube is better just as Farrow walks in the office. Maximoff's lube question gets answered. He has to leave for a meeting and in the elevator, he and Farrow talk about positional preferences.

* Back at the townhouse, Maximoff calls Farrow to come over to his bedroom and they have sex. They wake up the next morning in bed together. Maximoff's nervous because he's never had a boyfriend before. Later in the day, Maximoff's showering and Jane walks in to wash her face. He tells her he's dating Farrow. They're reminiscing about Maximoff's teenage crush on Farrow when Farrow walks in and hears. Jane tells him she knows they're dating.

**Chapter 20:** Farrow and Maximoff are in the car when Akara calls Farrow about not filling in activity logs. He tells Farrow that Quinn is copying his bad behaviors. Maximoff is trying to evade paparazzi when some of the other bodyguards start airing through comms Maximoff's cousin, Tom's first live performance with his band The Carraways. Maximoff gets pulled over by the police for speeding.

* Maximoff gets his driver's license suspended for a year and Farrow becomes his driver. One the way home from the courthouse, Farrow asks what he fantasized about as a teenager knowing it was him. Later, Maximoff video-calls Xander. Xander tells him their parents are holding a parents-only party to celebrate his license suspension.

**Chapter 23-24:** Maximoff is organizing a **Hallow Friends Eve party** for his cousin Sullivan Meadows so she can get drunk for the first time. He and Farrow have sex, but nearly get caught by Quinn. Farrow and Jane talk about trying to become friends for Maximoff's sake. Later, they're watching a horror movie and playing a drinking game. Kinney texts Maximoff upset that she wasn't invited. Suddenly, the front window of the townhouse is smashed.

* Two of Jane's cats, Carpenter and Walrus escape through the window onto the street. Jane and Maximoff chase after them while Farrow and Quinn chase after the guys that fired the firecrackers through the window. Price and Thatcher get there and Sullivan goes home with Ryke. Maximoff repeatedly asks Price where Farrow is. Thatcher accounts for all the cats and asks Maximoff who gave him the bite marks on his stomach. Farrow lies for him and says it's a girl Lily and Loren wouldn't approve of.

**Chapter 25:** At a family cookout, Farrow gets cornered by some of Maximoff's siblings and cousins so he'll promise to keep Maximoff safe. Audrey (Jane's sister) tries to make him do a blood oath.

**Chapter 26:** About a week later, Maximoff and Farrow are swimming at Hale Co.'s private pool. Luna calls Maximoff distraught over her exam results as she failed three of her classes. She tells them about a girl named Jeffra who'd been bullying her at school and saying Luna liked to eat shit for fun.

* Maximoff and Farrow go over to the Hale house and Luna tells her parents about what's happening at school. Loren wants to go to Jeffra's house and confront her parents but Lily stops him. Back at the townhouse, after they have sex, Farrow and Maximoff talk about sex addiction.
* Maximoff and Farrow are at Superheroes & Scones for a production meeting for the Hales, Cobalts and Meadows docu-series, *We Are Calloway*. Audrey's baked heart-shaped sugar cookies for Oscar, her brother's bodyguard and Quinn's brother. Jack Highland, one of the executive producers of the show, arrives and he tries to convince Farrow to appear on the show. As they wait for Sullivan and Akara, they start the meeting.
* Sullivan and Akara arrive and Jack and her talk about what she'd like to say on the show. They talk about several topics including swimming, her time at the Olympics, and her virginity.

**Chapter 30-31:** Maximoff is at a board meeting for H.M.C. Philanthropies when his cousin Charlie walks in five minutes late. He and Charlie have a strained relationship. Farrow texts him warning that he's coming but is too late. Charlie and Maximoff have a heated conversation about how Charlie wasn't invited to the Camp Away. Farrow comes into the boardroom and asks if there's a problem.

* Maximoff and Farrow are together and Farrow is looking about Maximoff's childhood bedroom. Kinney calls for them and they find her, Luna and Xander in Xander's room with a piercing gun. It's Luna's 18th birthday and she wants her siblings to get piercings for her. At this stage, her infected tongue piercing has healed. Kinney wants Maximoff to do the piercing because she doesn't trust Luna, but Xander thinks Farrow should do it because he's a doctor and has piercings himself. They get distracted when Kinney tries to lunge at Xander's television. An ad for a tween show her ex, Viv, is in came on. Xander holds her back and rush to turn off the TV. Kinney struggles to get out of Xander's arms and hits Maximoff in the windpipe. The Hales' dog Gotham starts barking and they realize their parents have come home.

**Chapter 32:** Farrow is helping Loren make pasta for Luna's birthday dinner. Loren keeps shooing Maximoff out of the kitchen whenever he wants to help until Lily comes in. Loren talks to Farrow and Lily asks if he has any friends that he could set up with Maximoff.
**Chapter 33:** Loren talks to Maximoff after dinner about his hair. He wants Maximoff to stop dyeing and he wants him to do an ultra-marathon with Sullivan. He doesn't want his son to live in fear of the media comparing him to Ryke.

**Chapter 34:** Maximoff and Farrow are alone at the townhouse because Jane and Quinn went to Hell's Kitchen in New York to visit her brothers. Farrow is helping Maximoff dye his hair darker then Maximoff cuts Farrow's hair for him. Farrow gets a text from Price to help check more attendees of the Camp-Away event.

**Chapter 35-41:** Farrow is watching Maximoff play capture the flag at the **Charity Camp Away** event. He's talking to the rest of Security Force Omega on comms when a girl named Ella trips over a tree root. Maximoff and Farrow come over to help and Ella pretends to be in worse pain than she is so Maximoff will stay with her. They're walking with Ella when they hear a group of guys talking rudely about Jane and whether or not she's into BDSM. Suddenly, Maximoff (who is allergic to fire ants) is bitten by fire ants and goes into anaphylactic shock. Farrow calls for Quinn to bring him an epinephrine shot to give to Moffy.

* Everyone is at the mess hall eating. Farrow is sitting down at Jane's table while Maximoff's and Sullivan's are crowded with fans. A woman named Tara comes up to Farrow and propositions him for sex. He rejects her, telling her he's gay. Meanwhile, a table over, the group of guys from before are insulting Jane on her choice of clothes. Farrow talks to them outside and warns them that if they continue, they'll have to leave the event. That night, he and Maximoff have sex in a tent.
* Akara, Farrow, Jane, Sullivan and Maximoff are preparing to confront Brad, Tyler and their friends. They'd been making more lewd suggestions and comments about Jane. Sullivan and Akara decide not to go confront them and stay behind. Meanwhile, Maximoff and Jane go to confront them. People start videoing them with their phones when an article goes public accusing Maximoff and Jane of being in an incestuous sexual relationship.
* Each of Maximoff and Jane's parents, as well as Daisy and Ryke drive to the Camp-Away event and confront Maximoff and Jane about the rumor. They think there's truth to the article and that they're lying because Farrow had said that Maximoff was dating a girl they wouldn't approve of. Farrow enters the cabin and kisses Maximoff in front of the parents. Loren's angry that his son is sleeping with a bodyguard and they all end up agreeing that it's up to security whether Farrow will stay on Maximoff's detail.

**Chapter 42:** Maximoff, Farrow, Jane and Quinn are at the lake house while the rumor dies down. Maximoff has handed all control of H.M.C. Philanthropies to the COO for two days. Jane, Farrow and Maximoff talk about a tabloid about the two cousins with the headline 'Damaged Like Us'.

**Chapter 43:**The rest of Security Force Omega arrive and start talking to Farrow. Akara informs him that he's not being fired because he and Thatcher voted for him to stay on Maximoff's detail. The only catch is Thatcher's being double-assigned to Maximoff and Jane in order to be Farrow's chaperone. Sullivan, Jane, Beckett and Charlie walk in and Charlie and Maximoff hug.

**Chapter 44:** Maximoff and Farrow are hiking near the lake house when Maximoff tells Farrow for the first time that he loves him. Farrow says he loves him too.

## Trivia

* The book is set in August 2037 to December 2037.
* Farrow and Maximoff's ship name is Marrow.