Page 35 of Resist Me

He was supposed to laugh or agree, but he appeared contemplative. It was strange to see him like this, away from football and his place as quarterback. There, he exuded confidence and even arrogance at times. He filled the role flawlessly, the perfect picture of his station. Now, I wasn’t sure who he was.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’d learned things about Lincoln. I found out that he was gay, which didn’t change the way I saw him, but it was new information. He drove a cool motorcycle, had his own apartment that he didn’t really need, was a health freak, could singlike a pro, and he read smutty books. Oh, and he gave me a place to sleep when he had no reason to.

Who the hell was Lincoln Porter?

Didn’t matter. I still couldn’t stand the guy half the time.

Returning to the bed, I plopped down on it and stretched. “You can sleep here too. That couch did not look comfortable.”

When he didn’t respond, I glanced at him and raised a brow. A challenge. It was funny to watch the indecision flicker across his face.

“I don’t bite,” I went on. “And I’m not gonna try to bone you if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“That wasn’t even a concern. You’re straight.”

“I never said that.”

He blanched and it took everything in me not to laugh. Instead of responding, he laid down on the couch. It seemed ridiculous when there was a perfectly good bed that was big enough for us to sleep in without touching. I’d slept with Kai plenty of times.

“Suit yourself,” I said, pulling the covers up to my chest. With my stomach a little less empty, exhaustion was creeping in again.

“What do you mean?” Lincoln asked after a few minutes.

I opened my eyes and rolled to my side. He was facing me with his hand underneath his cheek. When he met my eyes, he held my gaze.

“About what?” I knew what he was asking, but the game was entertaining.

“Are you not straight?”

“I never said that either.”

He let out an angry breath through his nose. “I don’t know why I try talking to you. You’re impossible.”

“Jesus,” I groaned. “Fine. I just don’t call myself anything.”

“I don’t understand.”

“To me, life is fluid. It’s constantly changing and I don’t think we’re locked into who we are at any given point in time. I’ve only been with women, but I can easily admit that Kai is hot as hell and if I felt some sort of sexual attraction to him, I wouldn’t fight it. I don’t, obviously. He’s my best friend and I’ve never thought about him like that.”

“So…” His face was pinched as he tried to process my words. “You’re straight but open to more?”

“I guess what it comes down to is this: If I found myself attracted to someone, a guy, why would I try to fight it? When I look at you, do I want to fuck you? No. But if I did, I wouldn’t question it. We get one life, man. I’m not gonna agonize over who I fall in love with.”

“That makes sense but doesn’t.”

“I can’t claim that love is love if I wouldn’t see it the same way in my own life. That doesn’t mean I think I’ll ever like a guy,” I added quickly. “Just that I wouldn’t give a shit if I did.”

“You’re a strange person, West.”

“I know. Now, can you please stop being weird and just sleep in the goddamn bed? This isn’t your book. One bed won’t make us screw each other’s brains out.”

His annoyed growl made me smile. When he got up, I felt a twinge of satisfaction. He laid on the other side, as far away from me as possible.

“If it’ll make you feel better, we can say ‘no homo.’”

He ignored me, which was fine. I was on the verge of falling asleep already. If the me from a few weeks ago could see me right now, he’d be revolted. I was sleeping a foot away from the man I’d thought about strangling in his sleep on multiple occasions. It was the perfect opportunity, but I’d let him live tonight. I did eat his cake, after all.

Chapter 14

---