Page 51 of Resist Me

Like the pathetic person I was, I had a football in my hand and was on my way to the field. There were a million places he could be, but there was a chance he’d be there. If he was, it’d just be a coincidence. Maybe we could take the opportunity to practice or something since it’d be convenient.

Yup. Everything was totally fine here.

It was pretty late, so it wasn’t surprising that the field was empty. Most of the guys were staying on top of practice on their own, but they were also rightfully enjoying the break. There’d been a few times I’d come here since the season ended. The solitude on the field was peaceful. It was such a familiar place to me and there was a certain comfort to it.

With a sigh, I threw the ball. As I ran to pick it up, I found myself pulling out my phone. When I tapped his contact, my stomach constricted nervously. The music in my ear paused while I waited for him to answer.

“What is this?” he asked.

My mouth felt dry now. He sounded annoyed, but for some reason, it made me smile.

“Where are you at?”

There was a solid five seconds of silence. “Why?”

“I’m on the field.”

“And why should that matter to me?”

“Stop answering everything with a question. You gonna join me or are you too afraid for me to prove I’m better than you?”

“I’m at home.”

“I’ll call you an Uber.” I pulled up the app and typed in the information. “It’ll be there in three minutes.”

“But…”

“Come or don’t. Doesn’t really matter to me.”

Before he could respond, I ended the call. My heart was racing, but it was also fun to push his buttons. To him, I was competition. There was no way he wouldn’t at least consider my challenge.

When the app said he’d been picked up, it felt like I’d accomplished something. While I waited, I ran lines. My shirt was soaked through by the time I stopped to take a break, so I peeled it off and tossed it to the side. The drizzle suddenly turned into more of a downpour and I looked up at the sky, letting it wash away the sweat on my face.

“Put your nipples away. That’s gross.”

“Is it?” I asked without looking at him.

When he didn’t respond, I picked up the football and quickly turned to throw it at him. He backpedaled and caught it. His expression was blank as he held it between two hands, just staring at me. Something was eating at him and I was dying to hear about it.

No, Linc. You cannot fix him.

“Come on, West. Practice with me.”

He shook his head. “Practicing with you is the last thing I want.”

“Hm. You’re here, though.”

“I was bored.”

“You’re good, you know. Great, actually.” His lips parted, then he licked them. Did I want to lick them? I wasn’t going to answer that shit. “But there are a few things I can teach you before you no longer have access to my wealth of knowledge.”

“Doubtful.” Despite his statement, he threw the ball.

“Suit yourself. It’s your last chance.”

“Fine. Fuck. You’re annoying.”

“Just returning the favor.”

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