His mouth curves at the word, but there’s something soft and earnest behind the smirk. “It was your idea.”
I swallow. The chain tightens infinitesimally as my throat works, reminding me it’s there.
“Brody…” My chest feels too full. “I?—”
He reaches out and takes one of the heart rings between his fingers, giving the chain the gentlest tug. It cinches just enough for me to feel it, not enough to hurt.
Heat floods me, fast and overwhelming, pooling low and heavy. Every nerve in my body stands at attention.
“Such a good girl,” he murmurs, his eyes dark and fond, and a little wicked.
All the blood in my body rushes south at once.
“Yourgood girl,” I rasp, dizzy and stupidly happy and absurdly turned on all at the same time. My fingers curl around his wrist where it holds the chain. “Yours.”
He smiles, wide and bright and so full of love, it steals my breath.
“Mine,” he agrees, and leans in to kiss me again, the chain cool against my throat and his stubble rough against my lips.
CHAPTER 34
BRODY
It’s pretty insane what a difference a week can make. Last Tuesday I woke up in my childhood bed, broken, alone, and with no hope for my future. Fast forward to today, waking up in my dorm room to Lincoln Beckett’s mouth on me.
With campus mostly empty, we’ve been able to ease into being back. Beck seems surprisingly comfortable with allowing himself to be seen with me by the few people around to witness us together. He even held my hand on the way to the fitness center today and didn’t get pissed off when I teased him about the boner he was getting while spotting me at the bench press.
“Oh my God, you two are disgustingly cute,” Caty says from the screen where Beck is video-chatting with her.
Beck adjusts the angle of his phone so we’re both in the frame. I’m using his chest as a pillow, reading the files Caty emailed us with previous examples of harassment cases and Huntston University’s diversity initiative mission statements. She’s not sure how much her mother is going to be willing or able to help us, but she did a lot of research over the break that we might be able to use.
“So are you two going out tonight? There’s a really amazing gay club not far from campus, you know. It’s a huge place, with different levels and types of music. There are several dance floors, a karaoke room, a kink room…”
“Kink room?” Beck repeats. “What the hell do they do in there?”
“I actually don’t know. But I would love if you two could go find out for me and report back.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Beck says, laughing.
I don’t particularly want to go out anywhere, even if it is New Year’s Eve, but I’d be lying if my stomach doesn’t drop a little at the way Beck immediately shuts the idea down.
It makes me worry about what it will be like when the dorm and gym are full of our classmates and teammates. I meant what I said when I told him I have no expectations for him to come out fully, I only wanted him to acknowledge and accept himself and what was happening between us, and he passed with flying colors. I don’t really love the prospect of hiding again, either. He wouldn’t even sit next to me at the dining hall before, is that going to change now? Is he going to go back to pretending to hate me again?
“Maybe we can all go together after the holiday break,” Beck clarifies, shocking me. “I’m not sure I’m up for a huge crowd right now. I’m kind of enjoying the quiet,” he says, looking down at me. “Unless you really want to.”
“No, I agree. I’m enjoying the bubble too much to leave.” I pull lightly on the chain hidden beneath Beck’s tank top. He bites his lip.
Caty makes a gagging sound. “Seriously, I can’t stand either of you. I’m going to go. Unlike you two lovebirds, I’m going out tonight.”
“Oh? Where to?” Beck asks absentmindedly, but all his attention is on the hand he’s trailing down my chest.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Mmhmm. Have fun.”
“I hate you!”
“Love you too, ‘kay bye…”
