Page 108 of Fakers with Benefits

“Are you alright?” Evan asked, his voice heavy with laughter.

“Peachy.” Giving up, I lay back on the platform and accepted my fate.

The swinging slowed, then stopped. A warm hand circled my thigh.

I glanced down. Evan was holding the hammock still and looking at me like I was a puppy in a pet store window.

“I’m still mad at you.”

“I understand.” He made a face, like he was trying to stop smiling but couldn’t quite manage it. “Do you need some help getting up?”

“Nope. The hammock gods have spoken. They’ve claimed my soul. This is my home now. I have become one with your rich-dude sex swing.”

“I’m really sorry, Nicky.”

“Can you help me up? I wasn’t lying when I said this thing claimed me.”

He clasped my hand and helped me sit up. “Good?”

“Mmhm.”

He sat back down on the chaise.

“Why did you lie to me? And don’t say to protect me. I want to know why you thought you needed to protect me.”

He sighed and raked a hand through his damp hair. “Because that’s what I do. I protect people.”

“Nope. Don’t accept that. Try again.”

“Because…”

“Because you think I’m a stupid kid who can’t take care of himself?” I supplied.

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is? Please, Evan. Tell me. I thought we were friends. I thought you trusted me and—”

“I do.”

“No, you don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t have hidden this from me.”

“What do you want me to say?” he snapped, his eyes blazing with something I couldn’t read. “Do you want me to tell you it’s because of all these things you’ve just decided are my motivation? You want me to validate all the terrible things you think about me? Fine. Tell me what to say and I’ll say it.”

“I want you to tell me the truth!”

“I did!”

“No, you didn’t. You told me a bullshit story about how you want to protect me because that’s your job. That’s not an answer.”

“I never said that was my job. IsaidI protect people.”

“But what does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like. I protect the people I care about. I don’t care what I have to do, what it costs, or what the consequences are. If you’re mine, then you’remine. And I protect what’s mine.”

I stared at him in shock. He considered me his?

“The moment that asshole brought you into this is the moment he went on my shit list. I won’t rest until he’s caught and dealt with.” He paused. His face softened. “I’m sorry I lied to you, Nick. This situation between us is… It complicates things.”

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