Page 55 of Resist Me

He smiled, revealing only the tips of his canines. “Is that why you’re here? For me.”

“No,” I snapped, fighting the urge to say something snarky. “Willow wanted to come and I’m bad at saying no.”

“In that case, do you want to come get a drink with me?”

It was an effort not to show my surprise. He stared at me, patient and calculating. I took a moment to survey him. He had a hipster vibe going on tonight- black, ripped jeans, white vans, a white t-shirt that made his colorful tattoos stand out, and a slouchy beanie. A fucking beanie. His hair peaked out of it and again, I had the urge to touch it.

I tried to remind myself that I hated him. Why did I hate him? For one, his buddy wrecked my shit at the football game. Aside from that, though, I wasn’t sure if I ever had a good reason besides wanting his spot. I had that now, so… Right, the football game. That was a big deal.

“What do you say, West?”

Oh, yeah. I’d just been staring at him. Was I checking him out?

“Sure,” I replied. Clenching my jaw, I headed toward the kitchen.

I spotted Brooks talking to a blonde guy. He flashed me a smile before he went back to his conversation. I could squeeze in there as a way to escape. He’d probably let me.

“This is better than what we’re giving everyone else,” Lincoln said as he passed me a bottled beer.

When I took a drink, I decided he was full of shit. It was definitely different than the cheap stuff. Maybe it was better to someone who drank beer more often than I did, but to me, it was bitter.

“What’d I do to earn one of your special beers?” I asked.

He leaned back against the island, holding his beer loosely between two fingers. “Call it a peace offering.”

“Maybe I don’t want peace.”

“Then you’re an idiot.”

My eyes narrowed. Before I could storm off, he brought the bottle to his lips. The way he smiled around it froze me in place. My mouth was drier than normal, so I took a long drink.

“Black looks good on you,” he noted.

“I know.”

“I don’t get a compliment today?”

Pulling my lip between my teeth, I considered just straight up calling him ugly. “Why would I compliment you?”

“You called me hot before.”

“It was just a fact, not a compliment, and mostly to get under your skin.”

He looked contemplative. “That’s too bad.”

Was he flirting with me? He was probably trying to throw me off the way I had back at my apartment. The look on his face had been priceless. It didn’t matter that he really did look good tonight. I was sure that he already knew it and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

A loud laugh erupted behind me just before arms came around my neck. I recognized Willow’s voice, so I relaxed a little.

“You ditched me,” she scolded.

“You seemed perfectly fine.”

“Oh, I see.” She came around my side and regarded Lincoln. “You look delicious, Linc. Doesn’t he?”

I scowled. “As delicious as roadkill on a hundred degree day.”

“Dance with us,” she pleaded, completely ignoring me.

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