Page 150 of Defend Me

Letting out a breath, he pulled me down, keeping me on top of him. I ran my fingers through his hair repeatedly for what felt like hours. Eventually, he laid me beside him and draped his arm across my stomach. With his head on my shoulder, I could feel his breaths against my neck. Only when they evened out did I close my eyes.

Like this, I realized that Brooks was even more at risk of falling apart than I’d known. He was fighting and now that he’d opened up to me- truly opened up- I knew what I was defending him from.

In whatever way I could, I’d help him learn how to be free. He could go back to New York and become what they wanted him to be, but he wasn’t allowed to lose himself in the process.

He was too beautiful to become someone else.

I’d punch some bitch ass New York lawyer in the face if I had to.

I had a feeling that this wasn’t the last obstacle we’d have to clear. The question was: Would he continue to choose me when push came to shove? He asked me to trust him, so that was what I’d do.

Chapter 41

Tilian

Brooks tried to fight Kai when he came up behind him and pulled out his hair tie. He gave up quickly, though, and he was smiling. When Kai sat beside him, Sen dropped into his lap. Brooks perched his feet on the bench and leaned back against me.

I wasn’t relentless about his hair, but his friends had started to be. I was glad that I could run my fingers through the strands now. There was still a lingering smile on his face as he closed his eyes.

Ever since he opened up to me, he’d been in a better place. I could tell that he wasn’t faking it. He smiled in a way that was different than when I’d first met him. When he did feel a little down, he told me, and even though he didn’t always divulge exactly what caused it, he was letting me be there for him.

I leaned down to kiss him and he held me in place by the back of my neck for a few moments. After he dropped his head again, he lightly pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger. The way he looked at me held so much warmth that I was trapped by his gaze.

“You’re lovely,” he said.

“Careful. You’ll give me a complex.”

“Good. I need you to know how beautiful you are, even if it turns you into an arrogant asshole.”

Kai scoffed. “Tilian, arrogant? I think the world would become off-balance.”

“I think we make the perfect balance.”

He made a sound of agreement- or it might’ve been disagreement- before he bit down on Sen’s neck.

“Jesus!” Sen shouted. “That one hurt.”

“That’s the point.”

“Oh my god. You used to be sweet.”

“Baby, I literally just took you on the best date of your life.”

“That’s debatable.”

“Oh, really?”

“What’d you do?” I asked.

Sen grinned at me. “He took me out on the town, but the sneaky bitch had set up a whole scavenger hunt and each time I solved one, it brought us to an activity. We went to the aquarium, some cheese tasting thing that was amazing, then to this glass blowing place where we got to make something together. Some other things too, but those were the best.”

My mouth dropped open and I looked at Brooks. He shook his head and flipped off Kai.

“You’re raising the bar, setting unattainable standards.”

“I attain them,” Kai replied with a smirk. “Not my fault you’re a terrible boyfriend.”

“I’m gonna have you assassinated.”

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