Resist Me

Chapter 23

Lincoln

Yeah, West was freaking out. I was too, but differently. Having sex with him was more than impulsive. It might’ve been stupid. I got lost in it. Before, I knew that I was starting to like him. Now, even the parts of him that I’d always found annoying were starting to grow on me. I’d smiled and felt butterflies with him like a damn teenager. I knew it was bad because I found myself wanting him to like me too.

I waited on the bed after I got dressed. It had been ten minutes and he was still in the bathroom. I didn’t know if he’d want to talk to me immediately. Maybe he didn’t even want to see me. That thought made my mood dip abruptly.

Fuck. West was so damn complicated and I had no idea how to navigate the situation. Or him in general.

Shaking my head, I stood and headed for the door. I paused and looked at the bathroom while I chewed on my lip.

He probably needed space. I could give that to him. Some. Maybe.

I left the room and descended the stairs, trying to be casual. If anyone knew I’d just had sex with West, I wouldn’t particularly care, but I knew that he would, so I made a conscious effort to play it cool .

“You good, man?” Rick asked.

I nodded. When I didn’t say anything, he returned to dancing with Willow. I watched them, feeling a strange twinge of jealousy. Keeping my life private was my M.O., but actively hiding wasn’t something I liked. I wanted to dance with that bastard, but he would say no. Aside from us being in public, he might not even want to.

Not sure what else to do, I leaned against the wall by the stairs and watched the crowd on the dance floor. Sen and Kai were still there, as close as ever. It was that time of night where a lot of people were drunk. It was louder than when I’d gone upstairs and part of me just wanted to go back to my room.

West walked right in front of me, but he didn’t look at me. It was impossible that he hadn’t noticed me standing here. My hands fisted at my sides, so I shoved them into my pockets.

He headed directly for the kitchen and struck up a conversation with Tilian, one of the guys I’d met briefly at their housewarming party. I wanted to know what they were talking about, but I stayed where I was. They knocked back four shots, which didn’t make me feel confident that he was okay, no matter what he claimed. Before he went into that bathroom, he’d both melted into my kiss and shuttered himself inside his head, so who knew what the fuck was going on in there?

After he’d finished the drinks, he clapped Tilian on the shoulder and made a beeline for the dance floor. He started dancing with a girl and it pissed me off, even though I didn’t have a right to feel that way.

I noticed Tilian coming closer, so I gave him a quick, polite smile. I didn’t want to take my eyes off of West.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Okay. Not feeling in the party mood?”

My lips thinned. “I am.”

“That was convincing.”

“Sometimes, I hate men. Worse, I hate when I don’t hate one that I should.”

He followed my gaze. There were so many people dancing that there was no way he’d know who I was talking about.

“There’s someone you’re into over there, huh?” he asked .

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I’ll be okay. What about you? Find anyone interesting tonight?”

“No, but I also don’t try.”

“Hm. You should.”

“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m incredibly awkward.”

I laughed a little. “Some people like awkward. You came over to talk to me, so clearly, you’re capable.”

“Liquid courage, maybe.”

I turned my head and stared down at him. He really was awkward, but it was adorable. He was friends with Dean, who said he was cool, so I knew he was the type who would open up eventually. Like I said, he came over to talk to me when he’d spent his whole time here smoking in the dining room. I’d seen him switch between heart eyes and staring daggers at someone all night, so I didn’t think he was hitting on me.

“You know, I’m an introvert too,” I noted.

“That’s funny.

“Really. I can play the part really well, but when I’m not on campus or at a game, I’m usually at my apartment alone. I don’t find most people enjoyable enough to give up my time for. And while I don’t get freaked out by talking to people, I understand how hard it is to put myself out there. Especially when dealing with a closed off asshole who keeps giving extremely mixed signals.”

His brow furrowed as he bit his lip. With a sigh, he leaned back against the wall.

“That’s why I don’t really put myself out there.”

“We get one life. If you fuck something up along the way, so what? I’d rather make some mistakes than regret letting something pass by.”

“I guess you’re right. Thanks for the advice, Linc. Do you happen to know where Dean is?”

“Upstairs. Second door on the left is where he sometimes fucks off to during parties.”

He smiled at me before he headed upstairs. As I looked at West again, I tried to put my own words to work.

What did I want to do about this? Chase him? Let him run away? Watch him slide his hands around to the front of this woman’s thighs… My hands fisted and I hoped that having my arms crossed ov er my chest would hide my frustration from anyone who looked at me.

When his lips dropped to the side of her neck, I almost marched right into the crowd to pull him away. Half an hour ago, he’d touched me there. West kissed the same way he did everything else: forcefully but with passion and an energy that was exhilarating. And his face when he was lost in pleasure…

Fuck.

I took a step forward, but someone looped an arm around mine, pulling me back to the wall.

“You should steal him back,” Brooks said. “But not like a caveman.”

I looked at him, keeping my expression carefully blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh huh. One of you can definitely still feel that dick in their ass, but sure. Deny it.”

“Are you everywhere at all times? Do you know everything?”

“Pretty much.” He had a mischievous smile on his face that somehow made him look mysterious. The guy was strange and I found him extremely interesting.

“How?”

He shrugged. “Even when you’re in a conversation, there are a hundred opportunities to take in what’s going on around you. If you actually look, that is. Like at their housewarming party. We were talking and you were engaged, but I bet you didn’t know that when West was brought up, you leaned a little closer and listened more. You looked at him without that disdain you used to have. Then, in the cafeteria, you all but begged him to come over and lick your face.”

“That’s gross,” I muttered with a grimace.

“Well, he looked at you the same way and when he realized it, he dipped. Bet he was a dick the next time you saw him.”

“Yeah, actually.”

“Remember how I told you that he faces the devil in the mirror every day? That kinda shit doesn’t make it easy to let people in. Can you imagine hating something inside of yourself that much? You probably wouldn’t let anyone else close enough to see it.”

I studied him, but he was impossible to read. It was unnerving, actually .

“So, he’s scared,” I mused. It wasn’t necessarily new information, but it was deeper than the ideas I’d mulled over before.

“Maybe. I’m just speculating,” he added quickly. “And I’ve probably had too much of the girl scout cookies being passed around in the kitchen, ya know?”

I laughed, shaking my head. High or not, Brooks made a hell of a lot of sense and he saw way too much. West was a runner, or a sprinter, but did he want to be chased? Better find out.

“Wanna help me?” I asked, jerking my chin toward the bastard with his hands on a woman who couldn’t have him.

Brooks smiled and knocked back his beer before he rubbed his hands together. “I guess I can take one for the team. There’s someone I want to make jealous anyway.”

I snorted a laugh. “Really? Who?”

“Some slippery fucker I need to piss off so he stops ignoring me.”

Casually, he pushed through the crowd. When he reached West, he didn’t even say anything to him. He grabbed the girl’s hand and yanked her forward. Holding onto the back of her neck, he dipped his head and kissed her way too passionately for this scene. Then again, it was a frat party. I wouldn’t be surprised if I walked in on a threesome in the bathroom.

West looked surprised and it was clear he was unsure what to do. I came up behind him and grabbed onto his hand, then started backing up. He shot me a glare, but I didn’t stop. Leaning forward, I positioned my lips at his ear.

“I’m a better dancer than her.”

“I don’t want to dance with you.”

“Yes, you do. You should see what I can do with my hips.”

Gripping my hand tightly, he quickly glanced around, then pulled me to the back door. There were people outside, but he kept going until we were around the side of the house. It was dark and I could barely see him, so when he pushed me against the wall, I was caught off guard. I held onto his hips as he braced his hands beside my head and came in close but not near enough for my liking. Still, I waited for him to make a move.

“Why are you doing this to me?” he asked.

“I had a taste and you’re sort of addicting, Densmore.”

“Don’t call me that. ”

“Okay, West.”

“Fuck. I didn’t say growl my name either.”

“Mm. Maybe I’ll call you… baby while I make you cum again.”

“Stop.” It didn’t sound at all convincing.

“West, baby,” I said slowly and with a little extra bass. “Come to the dark side. They say there are cookies there and I know you’re a slut for those.”

He hung his head for a moment before he tangled his fingers in my hair. His grip was tight enough to sting, but I didn’t give a shit once his lips came down on mine. He pressed himself against me, pinning me in place. Tugging on the strands, he forced my head back and dragged his tongue up my neck. When he bit down hard, I groaned and moved my hands down to squeeze his ass.

“Tell Kai you’ll catch an Uber home,” I said.

“Aw, do you wanna snuggle, Linc? I told you no cutesy shit.”

Shifting so that I could grab his throat, I met his eyes. The challenge there made me tighten my grip and turn him around. This time, he didn’t fight me all that much.

“Actually, I want to see if it’s possible to shut you the fuck up by swallowing all of your sweet cum until you don’t have anything left and can’t think straight.”

“God,” he breathed through the constriction on his throat. I eased up a little so that he could talk. “Okay, but just tonight.”

“Mm. We’ll talk about it.”

That fear in his eyes didn’t deter me. In this case, I wanted him to feel it, otherwise we wouldn’t get anywhere. I had no idea what would happen when the sun came up, but he’d given himself to me until then, so I intended to make good on my claim.

*****

I wasn’t surprised when I woke up to find West gone already. It was probably better that way. We both had a lot to think about. It was likely that he was completely avoiding it, but that was fine. For now.

My head pounded a little from the drinks last night. We’d swiped a bottle and drank together in my room after I- and I quote- ‘sucked his soul straight from its place in hell.’ Oh, the drama.

I wanted to do it again. He could take my soul, then we’d trade back and forth until we got tired of each other .

With a groan, I rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats. I hissed when something stung my shoulder. Craning my neck, I spotted a couple of scratches and… Was that a bite mark? Jesus. He was feral.

Before I left the room, I grabbed my phone and sent him a text.

Lincoln: If you want that soul back, we could get coffee sometime. If I keep it, I’m pretty sure it’ll wreak havoc like Peter Pan’s shadow.

I yawned at least three times on my way to the kitchen. The smell of bacon and coffee kept me going. Matt looked up from the island and narrowed his eyes. His lip was busted and swollen, but I didn’t feel bad about it. As I passed, I swiped a piece of toast from his plate, then danced out of the way with a laugh when he swung at me.

“Chill out,” I said. “You were being a dick. Besides, from the looks of it, you garnered some sympathy from Kasey.”

“And the sound of it,” Vic said, miming a gag.

“She’s spirited,” Matt replied. He dropped the angry expression, so at least we were done with that. “Linc was making some noise in his room too.”

Leaning back against the counter, I took a bite of the toast. “Jealous? I’ve seen you check me out in the locker room.”

“Funny. Who’d you get it on with?”

“That, my guy, is none of your business.”

“You’re so lame. Come on. You never fuck at parties. Give us the dirty details.”

“I could give you another split in your lip if you want.”

He rolled his eyes. Vic tried to smother his laugh behind his coffee. After a minute, he snapped his fingers.

“I saw a certain Densmore sneak out this morning.”

My stomach soured. I hadn’t thought about that part. He was going to be pissed if they figured it out.

“Did you?” I asked casually.

“Yeah. The hot one, not your puppy.”

Oh, thank god.

“Who’d she hook up with?” Matt asked.

All eyes turned to Rick, who had been noticeably silent at the island. He held his hands up as if he was innocent. I chuckled at the fact that they’d both stayed the night here. I wondered if they shared an Uber.

Someone appeared at the bottom of the stairs and my brows shot up. Brooks met my eyes, then bit his lip before he continued toward the front door. Since he was here at nine in the morning, his curls were all over the place, and he was carrying his shoes, I had a pretty good guess about what had happened.

But with who? This guy and his secrets had me wildly intrigued.

I sipped my coffee while I looked between the three of them. Each of them were typing on their phone. Interesting. Sometimes, I did miss the drama that went on around here.

“I might marry that girl,” Rick said, apparently deciding he wasn’t going to keep his lips sealed anymore. “When I say she’s just as fucking crazy as her brother…”

And that was enough of being at the house. He wasn’t wrong, though. West was fucking crazy. He hadn’t sucked my dick, but I hadn’t expected him to. While he made out with me, he was very exuberant about rubbing his cock against mine and every time I got close, he would slow to an agonizing pace, keeping me just at that edge. With the way he continued to kiss me, it was almost enough to make me cum without the stimulation. He kept it up for much longer than I would’ve liked, but the payoff rendered me speechless for a few minutes.

Well, whatever happened next was up to him. I was ready to go home and take a long nap in my bed, which was infinitely more comfortable than the one here. When my head stopped hurting, I had a composition to practice, even though I wasn’t in the mood for it. I had a feeling I’d be a little distracted.