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Blake laughs and holds his hand out to Avery. “I’m Blake and anything that you need, and I do mean anything, you let me know.”
Avery shakes her head while she holds back a laugh, taking him in stride. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You do that. Come on. I need another beer.” Blake turns and opens the screen door and we follow him inside. The house is crowded with all the usual faces that frequent Blake’s little get-togethers, so all eyes fall on me as I escort a new one into their midst. “Everyone, meet the new girl, Avery.” Blake turns toward my girl. “Avery, meet everyone. Now that that shit’s out of the way, let’s get fucked up!”
Everyone cheers and raises their drinks in the air, and suddenly the music gets cranked up and a lot of the g
irls jump up and dance.
Blake returns a couple moments later with a round of beers. “Let’s drink to the new hot chick in town.”
Avery laughs as she takes the drink. “I’ll drink to that.”
Blake downs his beer in one gulp and then belches loud enough to be heard over the music. “Have fun, you two. I’ve got something I have to take care of.”
With that Blake files through the crowd, leaving Avery and me in the living room full of people I’ve known most of my life.
Bodies gyrate to the latest Top 40 pop song, in turn clogging up every spare inch in the living room. Avery and I weave in and out of the crowd and make our way into the kitchen, where the beer is kept. Blake and a few other guys I recognize from work are playing a very intense game of beer pong. If I had to guess, Blake’s laid down some money on a bet. He always says money on the line makes the simplest things more interesting.
Blake tips his chin up when he notices us in the room. “You two want a piece of this action? You can play the winner of this game.”
“I’m not sure.” I’m hesitant, not sure if Avery would be willing to jump into the game, but the super-competitive side of me is dying to play.
Avery doesn’t say anything, just sticks by my side as we watch the game unfold in front of us.
Avery kisses my cheek. “Want a beer?”
“Sure. Thanks,” I say before she pulls free and heads toward the coolers that are full of beers, sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor.
Loud cheers from Blake’s beer pong game jerk my attention back toward him just in time to see him high-five his partner. “Still the reigning champs. We’ve beat everyone in this fucking place.”
I grab the ping-pong ball off the table and hold it up between my fingers. “Not everyone.”
“Oh, shit,” Blake crows. “Step on up. But you know how shit goes down in my house. You better break out some of that money I know you’ve been stashing away, because we’re playing twenty bucks a game, and there’s no fucking handicap because your partner’s a chick.”
“Sure you want to make that bet?” Avery flanks my side. “Because if you’re challenging me and Tyler, I hope you’re prepared to have your ass handed to you, Blake. I’m pretty damn good at this game.”
Blake rubs his palms together. “Hell yeah! I love a hot chick who can talk shit. This is going to be fun.”
“I hope he’s good for the money.” Avery smirks and then winks at me. “Because I’m about to take it from him.”
I think I just fell in love. This is a new side to Avery—the little hustler—that I find pretty damn sexy.
We start the game, and she wasn’t kidding about being good at this game. She sinks two balls in on her first two shots, forcing Blake to drink, and he instantly offers up a proposal for marriage, claiming she’s the baddest chick he’s ever met.
Avery and I stun everyone when we win the very first round. Blake quickly throws down a challenge of double or nothing, and we launch into another game.
Avery doesn’t mess around. She’s focused on the game, landing shot after shot as she digs her way to another victory. I’m sure being a student at Ohio State presented her with ample opportunity to play this game.
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. You can’t bring some fucking beer pong ringer into my house and not give me a shot at a rematch,” Blake whines as Avery and I bask in the glow of our back-to-back wins.
“Best two out of three,” Avery challenges. “But if I give you this rematch, we’ve got to make it interesting. We’ve got to play for more than just money.”
“Fair enough,” he says. “Name your terms.”
I hold back a laugh. The intensity over a game of beer pong is comical, but I have to admit seeing this determined, bossy side of Avery is a complete turn-on. It’s nice to see her confident in herself, especially after the conversation we had earlier about how she worries about her appearance.
“Okay . . .” Avery trails off. “My dad and Tyler are working on an addition on my granny’s house. If I win, you have to come over and help them out one day next week.”
