The Tight End (Red's Tavern 6)

“Yup. Maybe nag you to give me a massage. Or nag you to go on hikes with me,” he said. He got closer to me, talking softly next to my ear. “Nag you to fuck me.”

“Oh, God,” I muttered. “Don’t make me get hard in the middle of a party.”

He chuckled. “Okay, okay, I’ll go easy on you. For now.”

He leaned in, pressing a small kiss to my lips, right there in the middle of the kitchen.

It would have felt impossible, doing this last time we were in this house, just a few weeks ago. The idea of us kissing in public had felt like it would never happen.

That little peck held so much meaning in it.

It meant that Brody still wanted this. Really wanted it, seemingly just as much as I did. He was actually willing to date me, breaking all of his rules. These days, it felt more and more like there weren’t any rules left. Brody and I had both been in our own little ruts for so long, not realizing that we were blocking so much of life out.

I had been a loner by choice. And while I’d always be an introvert, I was finally starting to realize that even things like frat parties could be fun as hell, with the right people. You’d still never find me at them every single week, but alongside Brody, I knew I’d love occasionally attending.

And Brody seemed freer than ever, tossing away his rules about not dating anyone. We knew there’d always be some gossip online. But I’d assured him, over and over, that it was worth it. He was worth it to me.

I meant it, too.

“So I hear you’re a champ at beer pong,” I heard a familiar voice say from behind me.

“Dani,” I said, turning and wrapping my arms around her in a huge hug. “You came.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said.

Henry was behind her, and she introduced him to Brody.

“I’ve always been a big fan,” Henry said, clearly a little starstruck to meet Brody. “I’ll never forget the homecoming game two years ago.”

Brody’s eyes lit up. “Were you there? That was one of my favorite games I’ve ever played.”

“It was incredible.”

The two of them broke off into a chat about the game, while Danielle looked at me with a confused grin on her face.

“I knew he liked football, sometimes, but I didn’t know he liked it that much,” she murmured to me.

“Thank you so much for coming,” I said. “I know you’d probably rather be at home in front of Netflix right now.”

“Hell, no,” she said. “I mean, yes, normally that is my happy place. But I wouldn’t miss this for the world. And this place is pretty cool for a frat house.”

She looked all around, at the long wall of photos hanging in the dining room, the frames full of past members of the fraternity.

“It’s wild, isn’t it?” Brody said, as he and Henry finished their conversation.

“How many guys actually live here?” she asked.

“I’m not sure the exact number right now, but at least twenty-five,” Brody said.

“Holy testosterone, Batman,” she murmured, her eyes going a little wide. “That explains this badass kitchen. Three fridges, damn.”

“What are you two drinking tonight?” Brody asked, playing the host. “Whiskey and Coke? It’s my specialty, because I barely know how to mix up anything else.”

“Fuck yeah, then,” Dani said. “Whiskey and Coke sounds great to me. And once I get a drink in me, I can finally show Logan who’s boss in beer pong.”

“Oh, those are fighting words,” Brody said. “You have no idea how good he is.”

“He has no idea how good I am,” Dani said.

“You never told me your best friend was so competitive,” Brody said, a grin on his face.

“It’s going to be a showdown,” I said. “Apparently, I’m a natural at it.”

“I’ve only played it twice, and I’ve wiped the floor with everyone else,” she warned.

A laugh bubbled out of me. “You’re on.”

As I milled around the party with the three of them, I still could barely believe how comfortable I felt. Now there were even some familiar faces I saw other than Vance and Mike. I didn’t feel like a total alien in the world, like I usually did in any big social situation.

After we finished our drinks we headed over for a round of beer pong. At first it was just me and Dani playing each other, with Brody, Henry, and Mike looking on. But as we played, a group of people emerged around us, watching us battle.

Dani wasn’t kidding. She really was good at the game, a total wild card. She won the first round, which got people interested, wanting to see if I could be unseated as the reigning champion in their minds.

But after another couple of rounds, I was feeling looser. More confident. And I started dominating again, strangely proud of my newfound talent, even if it was at a useless game. After winning the second round, Dani was tipsy and laughing, coming over to give me a huge hug. The group of people that had been cheering us on had dispersed back into the crowd.