Page 28 of Beautiful Exile

The story Nora gave people was that it was to give me more time with my art. People thought I was some sort of prodigy. In reality, I just jumped at every little thing. That had changed with Kye’s arrival. He’d seen my timidness and asked if I wanted to learn how to protect myself.

Nora had been skeptical at first, but when she saw my confidence growing, she’d ordered us gym mats for the basement. But as much as training in jujitsu had helped me no longer be fearful, I still wasn’t crazy about crowds or new people. It felt like I didn’t have the full set of instructions on social cues.

Linc released my hand, and I instantly missed the contact. People didn’t touch me very often. Something about my awkwardness made them think I didn’t like it. And I often found myself missing the casual affection of a hug or the squeeze of my hand. But Linc’s fingers? They were so much more. I could still feel the rough pads and how they dragged over my skin, leaving a warm trail behind.

“You say what you mean. What you need. There’s not a damn thing wrong with that,” Linc said, his voice lowering to a growly tenor.

“Maybe,” I muttered. “Do you want a sandwich or not?”

One corner of Linc’s mouth pulled up. “Tell me the truth. Is it poisoned?”

I flipped him off and lifted my feet out of the water. “I’ll just take it back to my house. Don’t think I can’t eat both. Or Brutus will help me.”

Linc’s gaze flicked to the grass where Brutus lay, soaking up the last bits of sun for the day. “Brutus would never eat my sandwich.”

I scoffed at that, but the sound got lodged in my throat as Linc hoisted himself out of the water. Broad, tanned shoulders flexed as his biceps tightened, the inked designs dancing. My mouth went dry as I took in the wall of abs. I was so totally screwed.

Linc grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his shoulders, disrupting my view. “I’ll risk poisoning for the best chicken pesto sandwich ever created.”

I cleared my throat. “It’s worth death.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Linc sat on the edge of the pool, his feet gliding through the water as he did. He was close but not too close, seeming to respect that little hint of truth I’d given him: that I struggled with new people. Newanything, honestly, but he didn’t need to know that.

I slid my feet back into the water and opened the bag. I pushed one wrapped sandwich over to Linc and grabbed the other for myself. “I didn’t know what kind of soda you drank, so I just got you a Coke.”

He took the drink nearest him. “Coke’s good. Dr Pepper would’ve been even better.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Seriously? You like the taste of eighty-two different drinks in one?”

“You don’t know what you’re missing. It’s delicious,” he argued. I made a gagging noise, and Linc laughed as he unwrapped his sandwich. “The moment of truth.”

He took a bite and then closed his eyes, groaning as he chewed. “This might just be heaven in a sandwich.”

“Told you.” I didn’t bite into mine because I was too busy staring at Lincoln chewing his. The pure pleasure on his face took root somewhere deep inside me.

Finally, his eyes opened. “Thank you.”

I struggled to swallow. “It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not. I had a shit day, and you made it a hell of a lot better.”

I studied him for a long moment. I wanted to ask what had madeit such a bad day, but I couldn’t, not when I wouldn’t answer questions in the same vein. So, I opted for something else. “This is how you work out what’s bothering you?”

He lifted his chin in the affirmative. “Hell of a lot healthier than some of the alternatives.”

I unwrapped my sandwich, staring down at the perfectly toasted bread. “You’re not wrong there.”

I felt Linc’s gaze on my face as I bit into my sandwich, but I refused to turn, letting him know I was that attuned to his attention. “Is that why you train with Kye?” Linc asked finally.

“No.”

“Please, stop talking. It’s too much.”

I broke off a piece of bread and threw it at him. “I like to know how to protect myself.”

We were edging in on the danger zone, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to give Linc the answers he wanted—the ones he seemed toneed.

“You’re obviously good at it.”

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