Page 123 of Defend Me

I ventured onto the deck but remained off to the side. My relationship with my family was good for the most part. With my dad, it was a little more awkward. We just didn’t get in a lot of one-on-one time and I didn’t think either of us minded that.

Alex rose on his toes and shifted Brooks’ hair to the side. “What happened to your neck?”

Brooks looked at me over his shoulder, his face full of mischief. I shook my head, imploring him to make something up to explain the massive, glaring hickey on his neck.

“You see,” Brooks drawled. “There’s this thing I have that draws wild animals to me. It’s called rizz.”

I threw my hands in the air and stalked inside. This guy was really going to explain what was obviously a hickey by telling my family he had game. My dad was probably dying inside.

And me, I was about to be taken out by emotional damage times a thousand.

*****

It was weird that my brother’s friends were basically teenagers. Not too long ago, they were screaming kids who made poop jokes all the time. Granted, this wasn’t much better. They were obsessed with the word skibidi. I spent a lot of time doom scrolling, but I didn’t know what the fuck that meant, so apparently, I’d reached my ‘old as fuck’ era.

Oh, well. Everyone was crazy as a middle schooler.

Only a few years ago, Alex wanted bouncy castles and for his twelfth birthday, it was an outdoor movie night. This time, he was all about video games. In the living room, my parents had set up the projector screen from last year, which took up almost a whole wall. Suffice it to say, the kids were having a blast.

“Can we do this for my birthday?” Brooks asked close to my ear.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. He was like a jungle cat, always sneaking up on me. Maybe I was just terribly unobservant.

His arms came around me from behind and he pulled me back against his chest.

Fuck, I’d spent so much time hoping for something casual that I hadn’t allowed myself to think about anything else. It was hard to believe that he was here, spending time with my family and openly showing affection. My stomach was a happy disaster.

“It can be arranged,” I replied. “When’s your birthday anyway?”

“Spring.”

“Uh, when in spring?”

He hummed against my neck. “You’re a clever little thing. Figure it out.”

“Fine, then I won’t tell you mine.”

“June seventeenth.”

“How?”

Instead of answering, he moved his arms up and hung them over my shoulders. I didn’t think the mysteries of this man would ever be fully solved. It was both endearing and frustrating. He’d never settle for not having the upper hand.

“So, about the hickey…” I trailed off, feeling weird about it now.

“You mad? You have one of your own, you know.”

“Shit. I forgot.”

“If you want, you can add more art to my skin.”

“Tempting, for sure, but I’d rather earn your mark of ownership today.”

“Fuck. Careful with your words, baby. I might just carry you upstairs before I even get a chance to have cake.”

I laughed, then quieted again, biting my lip. “Do you think…”

“You have a habit of not finishing your sentences.”

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