Page 112 of Resist Me

“Densmore!” Dean shouted. A couple of the other guys followed suit. I remembered when it was me in this position, being metaphorically crowned before my first season as starting quarterback.

West seemed nervous, so I pulled my hand from his, not wanting to draw too much attention at one time this early on. It was enough that we were here together and wouldn’t hide it. He looked grateful and some of his pep came back. Dean took his hand and pulled him into his chest.

“You ready to become more powerful than God?” he asked.

West laughed. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

My brows raised. “It’s a huge deal. Don’t downplay it.”

Finally, he grinned. “Yeah, I’ll make everyone forget about you before we even play our second game.”

“Good luck with that. I’m more likable than you, remember?”

His eyes narrowed, but I saw the smile trying to peek through. I crossed my arms over my chest, challenging him to let his problematic side come out to play. A few more of the guys came over before I got to see it.

Movement across the room drew my attention. I saw my grandma waving me over, so I nudged West’s shoulder.

“Be right back.”

“What? Where are you going?”

I took his chin between my thumb and forefinger. “You’ll freak out if I tell you. Just be the pretty little social butterfly that you are and don’t worry about it.”

I wanted to kiss him, but I stepped back. Dean cocked his head as he looked back and forth between us.

“Are you guys friends now?”

With a wink at West, I started walking toward my grandparents. He could navigate that on his own. Maybe.

“Hi, honey,” my grandma crooned, immediately pulling me into a hug.

I leaned down to return it and was struck by her familiar scent. It was comforting and made me think of home. When she pulled back, she peered around me toward the team.

“The guy you came in with. That’s him?”

I nodded. “That’s West.”

“Wow. He’s so handsome.”

“Didn’t think I could manage that?”

She swatted my arm playfully. “Oh, you stop. You know that’s not what I meant.”

With a laugh, I took my grandpa’s hand and shook it. I would’ve hugged him, but he wasn’t that type of guy.

“Hey, kid,” he said, then jerked his head toward West. “You did good.”

“Thanks. Fair warning, he doesn’t know you guys are here and he’s definitely gonna panic. He’s… squirrely.”

“We’ll make sure he feels completely welcome,” my grandma assured me.

When I looked toward the team, I saw him already staring. His lip was between his teeth and his brow was furrowed. When I shrugged and motioned him over, he narrowed his eyes. It was clear that he was contemplating it. Thankfully, Kai latched onto his wrist and pulled him along begrudgingly.

They reached us and Kai released him before he backpedaled and offered me a thumbs up. West shoved his hands in his pockets, fidgeting. I stepped forward and leaned close to his ear.

“Sorry. Don’t hate me.”

“I do.”

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