Page 89 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 2

Guilt at hiding it from them motivated me more than the friendly banter with which they accepted it. “Uh, since Jennifer cheated on me, more or less.”

Beckett looked at Caden in shock. “It’s definitely the house,” he said.

Sawyer threw his head back and laughed. “Who’s next? Jordan?”

Asher snorted with contempt. “He’s too full of himself to be horny for anyone.”

When I dared look at Tyler again, I found the reflection of what I was feeling displayed on his face. It was mostly surprise at our own carelessness, but a strong current of pure joy was there too.

“Why were you keeping it a secret?” Caden asked, cocking his head. “You realize everyone in this room is queer, right?”

I shrugged. “It’s all so new.”

“We could have helped,” Beckett said. “It’s a real mindfuck, discovering a new favorite flavor.”

Tyler found my hand and squeezed it.

“Leave them alone, guys,” Avery said. “You all kept it hidden for as long as you could.” He scanned the room. “You with your tutoring and coaching,” he told Sawyer. “And don’t let me start in on you two.” He pointed at Beckett and Caden who had been secretly banging for months before kissing in the middle of the rink. “And nobody even knows what you two are up to,” he told Asher and Phoenix, and each turned a shade darker.

“Good job, A,” Gray said. “You tell them.”

Avery smiled. It was a strange thing to see, but it suited him well.

“He’s right,” Sawyer admitted before looking at us. “Well, we’re glad you’ve joined the fun side.”

“I think we finally have the votes we need for Murray to coach us in full drag,” Beckett said.

“I was thinking how nobody can stop us from throwing a ball upstairs,” Caden mused.

Grayson hooked up his phone to the sound system. “This calls for Dancing Queen,” he announced before blasting the song from the powerful wireless speaker. Phoenix killed the big lights and threw his arms high, catching the dancy rhythm of the song while Tyler and I stared at each other in horror.

“What the fuck is happening?” he asked me, half-scared to death.

I looked around. Seven sculpted athletes ranging from big and buff to slim and quick were dancing horribly to the song that was about to blast the house out of its foundation.

“I…I think they’re throwing a coming out party,” I told Tyler. Was that a thing? We hadn’t thrown any parties for Beckett. Not officially at least.

“Do you think they got that when they came out to their friends and family?” Tyler asked, leaning close to my ear.

I shook my head. If my family was anything to go by, I doubted it. “I think they’re doing it for all of us.” Beers were spread around the basement and Gray was in charge of music. A few other guys joined us downstairs and Sawyer invited Noah to the party. What was a little slip of our guard in one moment became the biggest party this house had seen in years.

I enjoyed it as much as any of them even if my heart trembled every time I remembered that we were out as a couple now. I could hardly make sense of what attracted me so much to Tyler after all the years of not even considering that as a possibility, yet I gave up thinking about it. If all of them cared so little about the details, why should I? It was confusing, messy, and weird, but it felt so much better than all the years of chasing something that only existed in my head. And that ideal I had built up in my mind was nothing compared to what I felt when I kissed Tyler. Especially when I kissed him in front of all our friends.

Chapter Fourteen

TYLER

“All packed?” I asked.

Sebastian shrugged. “Not much there to bring.”

I glanced from my duffel to his. He was right. It was the dreaded week-long trip home. We would be back in no time. I only had to keep telling myself that. We would be back before we knew it.

I tossed my duffel by the sofa facing the wall-mounted TV, then lay down with my hands tucked under my head. The move dragged my T-shirt up my abs a little and Sebastian looked at it shamelessly. “Nobody’s ever turned me on as often as you,” he said in a sexy, low tone. I loved his deep voice. It felt incredible when he moaned against my lips or, even better, around my dick. In all this time, I had only gotten hotter for him.

Sebastian crossed the room in three big paces and crashed on top of me, making me yelp with surprise and momentary fear. It was always scary having a guy of his size crash onto my torso. But as he landed, we pressed together like two halves of one being, blending, melting into one another.

The noose of melancholy had been tightening around our necks almost invisibly. It wasn’t until this moment, when I looked into his big, brown eyes, that I realized I was even feeling it. It itched where it touched me. Like it would help me sever it, I wrapped my arms tightly around Sebastian and held him on top of myself.