Page 87 of Burden of Proof

“It was situational,” he said, licking his lips. Something dark flashed across his face, and even though there was no way Justincould have seen his expression, he reached out and rubbed his hand in small circles against the middle of Keith’s back. “It…Justin… he just, brings it out in me. So does Micah.”

“There was no point in trying to pretend we were anything else,” Justin said. “This is who we’re all meant to be.”

Keith breathed in deep and let it out, the three of them standing together as cohesive a unit as I’d ever seen any couple be on their own.

“I love that,” I rasped, wondering the whole time if I would ever be that comfortable in my own skin.

Wondering if Hunter would be there until I was.

CHAPTER 26

HUNTER

Smith and Finn fell asleep on my couch, one after the other, and I carefully untangled myself from their limbs so I could go sleep in my own bed. I hadn’t heard from Lincoln since dinner, but I wasn’t surprised to be woken up just before three in the morning by a phone call.

“Hello?” I answered sleepily, rolling onto my side and rubbing my eyes.

“Sorry for calling so late,” Lincoln said.

“Never apologize for that.”

“Are you home?”

“Yeah. Yes. In bed.”

There was a small pause. “Will you come let me in?”

I bolted upright, suddenly wide awake. “Are you here?”

“In my car in a parking spot, but yes,” he said.

“I’ll unlock the door, but be quiet. Finn and Smith are asleep on the couch.”

Lincoln made a tired, but amused sound in my ear. “I’ll be up in five.”

He made it in four, locking the door behind him and tiptoeing through the apartment and right into my bedroom.Lincoln closed my bedroom door and pressed his shoulders against the wood, and I sat on the edge of my bed, mouth dry.

“Did you end up going out after all? To Rapture with Silas?” I asked.

He nodded, and we both looked down at the loose tank top he had on, the huge scoops that showed all of his ribs and the tease of his nipples, the tight black shorts, the leather boots.

“Did you have fun?”

“Met some friends of Marshall’s,” he answered, chewing at the inside of his cheek.

“Were they nice?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, sucking in a deep breath.

Tension rolled off of him in waves, but I couldn’t figure out what was making him so uncomfortable. When we’d texted at dinner, I didn’t get the impression anything was amiss, but the man standing in front of me now was more uncomfortable than I’d ever seen him, seconds away from itching like he wanted to peel himself out of his skin.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Just confused.”

I scratched an itch beneath my right eye, not letting my stare waver. “Did you want to talk about it?”

He shrugged.