Resist Me

Chapter 11

Lincoln

As I exited the locker room, I stretched my arms above my head. To me, there were few things that felt better than leaving the gym after a good workout. I didn’t even do it for the strength and toned body, although those were obvious benefits. If I didn’t come here and work myself this hard, I’d probably end up committing murder at some point.

“You coming to the house tonight?” Rick asked. “We have that party.”

I shook my head. “Classes tomorrow.”

“When has that ever stopped us?”

“It hasn’t stopped you. I don’t enjoy being hungover while an instrument blares in my ears.”

“You should live a little while you still can, Linc.”

I was prepared to make a snide comment, but I looked at the place I’d seen West before he ran out of here. His bag was still on the floor beside the bench. Maybe he was coming back. It had been over thirty minutes, so I doubted it .

He must’ve forgotten it in his rush. Before he left, he’d been paler than usual. It was odd and unnerving to see West in a state other than his exuberant, annoying one.

Don’t do it. Don’t fucking do it .

I moved away from Rick and headed toward the bench. Deciding it wasn’t that much of a detour, I slung it over my shoulder. It would be easy to leave it by their front door, but their apartment complex was pretty shady. I was sure it would get stolen.

It was a strange thing to be a good person but hate that you were. Did that actually make me a bad person?

A week ago, I’d been excited to finish football and never have to interact with West again. It seemed that the universe had other plans. We’d already had a few interactions since then and it was a direct affront to my desire for solitude.

I pushed open the door and was met with chill air. The rain was falling more heavily than usual and it was cold enough to make me shiver, even in my hoodie.

As I headed through the courtyard, I pulled my hood up. Having curly hair was not all it was cracked up to be. While it was wet, it was nice and wavy, but then it would become a frizzy mess. Don’t even get me started on the humidity. It was part of the reason I’d left the god-forsaken south. That and the general lack of like-minded people in my small town. There were good ones too, but for some reason, it was the assholes who were always the loudest, which made the whole place feel suffocating.

Seattle had always been something of a dream for me. I liked the city and its proximity to the water. Mild weather was a major plus. Summers weren’t excruciatingly hot and winters were mostly drizzly. Snow didn’t come every year, which was a little unfortunate but made for better road conditions. I knew how to ride well enough in the rain. Ice, on the other hand, was a biker’s worst nightmare.

My brows furrowed when I saw a dark mass on one of the benches underneath a cherry blossom tree. The branches were bare and did precious little to block the rain from falling on the person. He wasn’t wearing a jacket, only a pair of workout shorts and a t-shirt.

My stomach lurched when I recognized the outfit and the man wearing it. I picked up the pace until I stood right in front of him. He was lying on his side facing the back of the bench. Tentatively, I reached out to touch his shoulder and found it drenched.

God damnit. Why was he sleeping here? I thought back to how he’d looked in the gym and wondered if he was sick.

“West,” I said, shaking him gently.

He let out a dissatisfied groan and leaned away from me. I grasped his shoulder more firmly to roll him onto his back. His eyes opened, then he squeezed them shut when rain fell into them.

“Why is it wet?” he grumbled.

“You’re sleeping outside in the rain.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“Does it?”

Opening his eyes again, he glared up at the sky angrily before he turned to me. It took a moment for recognition to dawn on his face.

“I fell asleep. Why would you wake me up?”

I raised a brow, surprised by the stupid question. “It’s raining, you’re soaked, and you left your bag.” I lifted my shoulder to showcase it.

“You should’ve left it there. Make me face the consequences of my stupidity.”

“Okay, I didn’t sign up for drama class this semester.”

“What did you sign up for?”

“I distinctly remember you saying it was dumb to share information with your mortal enemy.”

He frowned. “It’s also dumb to bring them their bag and save them from the rain.”

“I haven’t saved you. You’re still in the rain.” Tapping my fingers against the strap I was clutching, I studied him. He still didn’t look well- not just physically, but also in spirit. “Do you need saving?”

When he met my eyes, I was surprised by the anger there. “I don’t need your help, Porter.”

His use of my last name made me grit my teeth. I dropped the bag at his feet and took a step back.

“Fine. Have fun sleeping in the rain if that’s what you’re into these days.”

I spun on my heel and started walking down the path again. Even though I wanted to say more, it wouldn’t do any good. What was the point anyway? We weren’t going to become friends just because we sang karaoke and had some beers together. I sure as hell didn’t want to deal with his unfounded resentment toward me.

Behind me, there was a sharp hiss followed by a swear. Without even making a conscious decision to stop, I stood in place. I was an idiot for turning around, but when I saw the pain on West’s face, I returned to the bench.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I demanded.

His head cocked. “You kinda sound like my dad.”

“You’re infuriating.”

“If you tell me I’m a worthless piece of shit, it’ll be like he’s right in front of me. Better yet, throw a punch.”

Swiping a hand down my face, I willed myself to walk away. At the same time, his words made my gut twist uncomfortably. “Have you seen a doctor?”

He got to his feet. “I don’t need one.”

When I grabbed his side, he cried out and latched onto my wrist to pull my hand away.

“It’s been over a week,” I pointed out. “You could have a broken rib.”

“It’s not broken.”

“Regardless, you should get it checked out.”

“My dad will be pissed if I go to the doctor, okay?”

“Why?”

“He just will. He’ll see the claim pop up, then he’ll call me and it’ll turn into a whole thing. I just can’t deal with that.”

“He pays for your insurance but doesn’t want you to use it. That seems dumb.”

“I don’t know, man. Maybe it’s some misguided sense of obligation. Let’s just drop it.”

His despondency made my stomach shrivel up. It didn’t match the person I’d known for nearly six months. There was no shit-eating grin or cries for attention. He looked like he could crumble and disappear in the wind.

“No doctor,” I agreed. “At least let me take you home. You look like the dead.”

“I can’t sleep there,” he muttered.

“Uh, okay. Does your mattress suck? ”

He huffed, then launched into an explanation with a speed I had difficulty keeping up with. “There was a roach on my ceiling and it fell on my face. I haven’t slept in a few days, the manager won’t send pest control, and Sen and Kai work super late tonight. I don’t want to be there by myself.”

He looked down at his feet after he finished. The whole thing sounded like a nightmare except for the part about being alone. It seemed insane to resort to sleeping on a bench in the courtyard, but he’d obviously reached a point of desperation.

“You can crash with me.”

Why the hell did I say that? I felt a wave of nausea as I failed to convince myself that it had been in my head. He looked just as shocked.

“Tonight,” I added quickly, but I realized it didn’t help. “Nevermind.”

“Why would you offer to help me?” His eyes were narrowed suspiciously and I couldn’t blame him.

I wanted to say it was because, against my will, I was a nice person. That little kernel of guilt, however, reminded me that I was the reason he was in pain right now. I couldn’t take that back, but I could set aside my petty annoyance for a day to help him out. After that, I’d call us even.

“You’re in desperate need of sleep,” I replied. “I have a couch and no roaches.”

He shrugged, then broke into a smile. “Good enough for me.”

He was already heading toward the parking lot and I was just standing around like a fool. I thought about bringing him to the frat house to sleep, but I remembered they were throwing a party tonight. Besides, I really didn’t want to have to field rumors about this asshole sleeping in my bed. It’d be the talk of the school: Harmon’s quarterbacks shacking up together. The idea made me shudder.

I caught up to West and led him to my motorcycle. That was another thing I hadn’t thought about.

“Uh, are you okay with…” I gestured at the bike.

“Don’t worry. I’m not afraid of touching a guy.”

“I know. I just wanted to know if you were going to scream like a bitch in my ear. ”

He scoffed, a smile playing on his lips. With his mood more elevated than it was earlier, my worries eased. He seemed more like himself now.

I grabbed the helmet from the handlebar and passed it to him. He took it, but his brow furrowed.

“You don’t have to let me wear this.”

With a shrug, I swung my leg over the bike. “If someone rides with me, they’re my responsibility.”

“Well, ain’t that just adorable? I didn’t take you for the nurturing type.”

“Just get on.”

West settled behind me and scooted up so that his chest was pressed against my shoulder blades. I tensed when one of his arms came around my waist. He didn’t need to grip me that tightly, but I didn’t say anything. Maybe he actually was nervous.

The engine roared to life and he leaned in close. His breath stroked my neck, making goosebumps rise on my skin.

“That’ll sure get your balls tingling.”

I shook my head. “Put on the helmet.”

“Let’s ride off into the sunset, baby.”

I waited until he’d situated the helmet before I took off out of the lot. He quickly latched onto me again. When we were on the freeway, I revved it, flying past the other cars. It made him tighten his grip and even though I’d intended to slow down, I kept us at that speed. His fingers spread outward, his touch spanning a wider area. Even in my hoodie, I could feel the pressure of his hands.

Unbidden, the memory of him calling me hot on Saturday came to my mind. It didn’t mean anything. He had a terrible filter and was comfortable enough in himself to say things like that. Still, ever since it happened, I’d wondered if it was only to get under my skin or if he’d actually meant what he said. I was aware that I was attractive and he was, well, West, so it didn’t matter at all.

When his hands shifted again, I sucked in a breath.

Jesus. I needed to get out more.