Page 79 of Resist Me

There was a knock on the door, so I pulled away, but he held onto me tightly, guiding my mouth back to his.

“I put a note to leave it at the door,” he said.

“God, you really are antisocial.”

He smiled against my lips. “Means you must be pretty special since I’m giving up my alone time for you.”

And hell, if that didn’t make my stomach flutter.

Chapter 27

Lincoln

“What the hell happened to you?” Willow asked when we walked in the door.

I glanced at West, not bothering to hide how I felt about getting punched last night. He dropped his gaze to the floor. I thought he felt bad, but then I saw the way his lips twitched. With a huff, I shoved his shoulder, making him stumble.

“Sorry,” he said, putting his hands up.

“No, you’re not.”

“I’ve wanted to hit you for a long time.”

“Me too. You should let me take a swing.”

The way his brow raised while his eyes sparkled made me wonder if he was less opposed to that idea than he should’ve been. Crazy bastard.

“You two are adorable,” Willow crooned, clapping her hands together.

“Shut up,” West growled. “We’re not… anything.”

He headed into the kitchen and swung open the fridge. I frowned at the back of his head. It was hard to figure out where we stood when he kept going back and forth. He liked me, even if he wouldn’texplicitly admit it. Whether it was his stubborn refusal to give up his dumb rivalry or something deeper, I didn’t like it. Last night, I realized that pushing him too far led to violence, so I had to find a way to readjust my approach.

Maybe a sane person would choose to roll with the punches- literally- or walk away. I probably should do that because there was a high likelihood this would end in me getting hurt, but something about West made me want to stick around. When I got attached to someone, I’d let them use me as a human shield in a flurry of bullets, which was very likely my fatal flaw.

God damnit, West.

I joined him in the kitchen and lifted myself onto the counter. He looked at me suspiciously and I flashed him a smile. His jaw ticked, then he snagged his lip between his teeth. I’d rather be the one biting it.

Reaching out with my legs, I pulled him closer by his waist. I snatched the coke from his hand and took a swig. With a grimace, I set it on the counter.

“I don’t know how you drink that.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t steal my stuff,” he suggested before he drained the whole bottle without flinching. I hated the way carbonation burned, and he drank it like it was water. Maybe opposites really did attract.

“You should eat like an adult,” I teased, earning a scowl. “Your abs are getting soft.”

When I poked them, he grabbed my wrist. “That’s a lie. My body is perfect.”

“Mm.”

Settling my hands on the sides of his neck, I leaned forward to kiss him. He stepped away, dislodging my legs from around him.

“Remember when you told me that if you liked a guy, you wouldn’t fight it?”

He shrugged. “Maybe I’m just not into PDA.”

I looked over my shoulder. Willow was sitting on the couch watching Rick and Morty, so his statement didn’t hold much weight. I was about to push the issue, but the front door opened. Sen and Kai walked in, holding hands and looking adorable. West had taken a few more steps back and his expression was very blank.

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