Page 34 of Trust Me Always

Slowly but surely, everyone piles into their vehicles. Chase, our DD, drives us back to the football house for the after-party.

When we get there, the music is already reaching the curb, and inside, we find the keg stands are in full effect.

We pause just inside the entry, and I smile at the chaos. “Bros. Bros everywhere.”

Ari laughs, and we look up at Brady when he and Chase shift to stand before us.

“You girls know the rules,” Brady begins. “No?—”

“Taking drinks from anyone but you,” both Ari and I say at the same time, and I lift the plastic bottle of liquor we brought for ourselves.

Chase raises a brow. “And no bathroom breaks alone.”

“And no leaving with anyone without talking to us first,” Brady adds, and they all look to me.

“Hey!” I defend, but Ari’s giggle has my head whipping her way.

“Well, I’mnotgoing to go home with anyone, and Paige isn’t here tonight. That only leaves you.”

“Love Noah, not a fan of being the only single female in the gang. Paige needs to get her shit together and act like the twenty-one-year-old she is, not a forty-year-old divorcée.”

“I like a good MILF.” Brady grins.

“We know, Big Guy.” I pet his shoulder. “We know.”

Ari grins, wraps her arm around my shoulder, and drags us away from the guys.

“Okay,” she shouts. “What’s the plan? People watch in the corner, sit by the firepit out back until our buzz becomes something more, or hit the dance floor and figure the rest out later?”

“Option three, baby!”

She smiles, dragging me into the dead center of the makeshift dance floor. We dance to several songs, jumping up and down when “Shots” by LMFAO plays, getting lost within the people around us, swapping from partner to partner and utterly enjoying ourselves.

We pause, take another mini shot, offering some to a couple girls who shuffle in close at the sight of the bottle.

We cheer and get back to it.

Ari grips my arm, and I look up to see her lift her phone in the air, Noah’s face on the screen.

“Hey, best friend’s boyfriend!” I shout, blowing a kiss, and Noah smiles, waving back, a few guys who must be teammates crowding closer to see what all the noise is, I’m sure.

“I’m going to go out back and talk for a minute!” she shouts. “You coming?”

“Nope. I’ll be right here.”

She nods and walks off, and I watch as she makes her way toward the patio door, flagging Brady down on her way. He extracts himself from the girl who was using him as a barstool, smiling as he follows Ari out back.

I grin, forgoing the little shot glass around my neck and finishing off the last little bit in the water bottle before smashing it, dropping it, and kicking it off to the side. It’s fine—I usually come in the mornings to help with clean up anyway.

I close my eyes, moving to the beat as I gather my hair and tie it up in a high pony. Before my arms have even begun to lower, a pair of warm hands find my hips.

The guy doesn’t get all up in my space, so I allow it, swaying a little more intentionally, my knees bent slightly as I get more into the movements.

The lights cut out then, and several strobe lights kick on, making everyone shout in excitement. It’s not dark by any means—there’s still plenty of light coming from the other rooms around—but it’s a vibe.

The liquor starts to kick in, inhibitions out the window, and I press closer to my dance partner. Hands come around my front, closing around me and pressing to my ribs in a way that I’m not too drunk to recognize as intimate.

Still sexy but in a familiar, deeper way.

---