Page 31 of Defend Me

Hoping to make him feel more comfortable, I squeezed his shoulder. I didn’t know where I was gonna go at first. I spotted Dean on the back patio. It looked like he was smoking a cigarette with some of the team. Hopefully, he was just a social smoker.

When I looked at the couch, I found a target I was interested in. I strode over and dropped onto the other side of it.

“Hey, you’re Lincoln, right?”

He brought his beer to his lips while he shamelessly studied me. It made my skin feel warm in an exhilarating way. He was perceptive- more than most. I loved it when someone tried to figure me out, mostly because they couldn’t.

“Linc,” he replied. The smile he offered me did not match West’s whole villain claim.

“The god of Harmon University,” I said in a dramatic voice.

He laughed, albeit a little awkwardly. “Yup. Former god now.”

“Oh, yeah. West’s ego is about to grow like the Grinch’s heart.”

“Only if he lets it. What’s your name?”

Hm. I wondered if he shared West’s resentment. It didn’t look the same. I bet he was just hella annoyed with his antics.

“I’m an asshole, obviously. Brooks.” When I held my hand out, he took it. I used my thumb to brush over his skin. It was softer than I’d expected. I loved a man with a good skincare routine.

“What are you studying?” he asked.

I blew out a raspberry. “Law.”

He grimaced. “Damn. I’ll have to make sure to keep my nose clean around you.”

“On the contrary, we should be living it up before I’m obligated to give a shit.”

“To living it up, then.”

He clinked his bottle against mine and drained it. His eyes remained on me the whole time. Go ahead, buddy. Peel away my skin layer by layer. You won’t find whatever you’re looking for.

His eyes grew distant as he seemed to get lost in his head. I wanted to know what went on in that pretty thing. Lincoln was drop dead gorgeous. His curly hair was something I appreciated and his hazel eyes were to die for.

I motioned for him to come closer. “Do you think they’ll be offended if I tell them their place is a shit hole?”

He snorted a laugh. “If they don’t already know that, they’re all delusional.”

God, I wanted to open him up. He was more intriguing than I thought he would be. He also seemed genuine. While West appeared to be an open book, he put on a front to hide his pain.

I knew what it was like to do that. His wasn’t entirely fabricated, but I saw the difference when he wasn’t actually feeling the way he presented. That shit ate at you. It was exhausting and even if you convinced everyone else, the truth was always buried inside of you.

I watched as Linc stared at West in the kitchen. Obviously, they were rivals and there wasn’t romantic intent there, but there was a general interest that didn’t fit with their relationship. Linc, like me, wanted to understand people. I wondered if he’d perceived that there was more to West and his anger toward him.

Linc’s strength might lay in the way he was able to perceive things. He may dislike West, but I bet he’d cave easily if the guy wanted to suddenly be his friend. What was Linc’s weakness? Forgiveness, maybe. He seemed like the type to give people too many chances. Eventually, he’d stop trusting people or he’d just keep repeating the same cycle.

Or it could work out at some point. If he was lucky.

My eyes shifted to Tilian. He was alone, but he looked content. I forced myself to stay seated and continued digging inside of Linc. It was entertaining enough and the view was nice.

Chapter 10

“A multitude of people and yet solitude”

Brooks

Seated Next To God Himself

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