Yes, I was the queen of procrastination. I was also as curious as a cat. Which meant that I could put things off as long as I wanted, but it drove me crazy when other people did the same to me.
Hypocritical? Yes.
Did I care? Not so much.
Tristin laughed under his breath. “The kinds of things that will make you not want to pull away from me every time I touch you.” With those cryptic words, he stood and sauntered out of the room without looking back, leaving me more confused than ever.
Was Tristin going to fight for me? And, if so, how the hell was I going to rebuff his advances?
I was strong enough to survive a lot of things. Bad things I didn’t even want to think about right now.
But I didn’t know if I was strong enough for that.
Chapter Six
Thea
Thank god for the football team.
I never imagined those words would ever cross my mind. But when six guys showed up at the townhouse, ready to watch football and talk football and possibly even play football, I wanted to hug every single one of them.
Because their presence was so overwhelming, all I had to do was exist. I didn’t have to think or stress or even talk. I could just sit back and watch the chaos unfold from my favorite spot on the couch.
On a day like today, that was as good as it was going to get.
I kept catching Tobias watching me, but he hadn’t questioned the impromptu get together. Probably because Leo was dragging him around, introducing him to people, much like he had with me that first night I was back in Moss Harbor. It would have made me laugh if I was in the frame of mind to do such a thing.
“Hey, Thea,” a guy with dark hair and a broad smile said as he sat on the other end of the couch. “Long time, no see.”
I had to think for a few seconds, but his name eventually came back to me. “Hi, Lincoln.” He was one of the guys who lived at the football house, and as the most social of the lot, he’d helped me track down Marissa, the redhead who had lured Tristin upstairs the night of the party.
Yes, that party.
Like the first time we met, I couldn’t help but notice how naturally appealing he was. It was all in the smile. It screamed flirtatious and fun and mischievous with a little danger mixed in for good measure.
“How’s the leg?” he asked with what seemed like genuine interest.
“Not bad. I’m ready to get this cast off, though.”
“I get it. I fucked up my ACL my freshman year, and that was a bitch to recover from.”
“I bet.” Shifting slightly so I could see him better, I said, “By the way, I never got to thank you properly for helping me find Marissa. It was a huge help.”
His already wide smile grew. “Oh, I should be the one thanking you. It gave us something to talk about at the Delta party a few weeks later, and we had a lot of fun not talking later on.”
I let out a startled laugh. He was shameless, and I kind of liked that about him. “I’ve never been accused of playing unintentional matchmaker, but I’ll take it.”
“Feel free to send any beautiful women you know my way, anytime.” He widened his eyes with faux innocence. “But only if they’re also smart, of course. I value a nimble mind above all else.”
I laughed again. Huh. Apparently, it was possible to find humor in life, even today. “Of course.”
“What’s so funny?” Leo asked as he sat between us and draped an arm over my shoulder.
“Lincoln was just telling me how he’s more interested in the size of a girl’s brain than her bra,” I replied lightly, intentionally twisting his words. “He won’t even look at a girl who hasn’t made the dean’s list at least once.”
Leo chuckled. “Tell me, Linc. How does that work, exactly? Do you require girls to produce a copy of their transcript before sleeping with them?”
Not at all phased by our teasing, Lincoln grinned. “I posted an application online that includes multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. Proper spelling and punctuation is my Achilles’ heel.” He bit down on his lower lip and batted his dark lashes. “And don’t even get me started on a well-placed semicolon. They make me all