Page 28 of Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends

“She’s staying in your house?” This comes from Titan, and Tyler gives him a flat look. “I mean, it’s a legit question to ask. You never let anyone stay with you.”

“Yes, she’s staying with me. We’ve known each other for a long time. It’s fine.”

I’ve wondered once or twice before how he might really feel about me crashing at his place, and now I’m thinking I haven’t considered it enough. Every one of them is shocked to hear that I’m staying with Tyler. I feel bad and slightly drop my head to look at my glass. Tyler’s hand sweeps across my lower back again, and I find him looking at me.

“Hey. You know I don’t mind that you’re staying there. They’re just a bunch of nosy assholes who aren’t used to boundaries.”

“Hell yeah, we’re nosy. If you’re the sister, you’ve known Tyler for a long time. We need some dirt on him. He’s too clean.” Sully grins, and so do Tyler’s teammates.

Tyler scoffs.

“Spilling secrets breaks the code,” I tell them, grinning back.

“And what code is that?” Sully asks.

“The roommate code, of course.”

I glance at Tyler, and one side of his mouth tips up. His jawline is smooth from shaving, but his dark eyes, dark brows, and dark hair are severe against his skin. I hate how handsome he is. Does he even know how good looking he is? He has to, right?

“And see that, right there, you using the word roommate in the same sentence as Tyler is enough to leave all of us wanting more. I can’t wait to drop this in the chat.”

Tyler’s gaze cuts from me to him. “Can you just not? Obviously, this isn’t just some random person I’m with. There’s going to be backlash, you know it, so be sensitive,” Tyler chastises.

“Fine. I can do sensitive. But you know it won’t be long before everyone else realizes she’s here.” Sully glances at me, and I can see the sympathy, or better yet pity, already setting in.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we’re ready, not when you decide to oust her to the team.”

“Fair enough, but in the meantime, there’s got to be something you can tell us.” He wags his brows at me.

“How long have you known each other?” Titan throws out.

That question seems easy enough. “I was seventeen when we first met, so a long time.”

Sully whistles, and Tyler lets out a deep sigh.

“You definitely have some dirt on him.” Bryan grins.

“Really?” Tyler throws at him.

“I think we should just leave them alone,” Jonah says, eyeing his friend like he knows more than he’s been told. Or maybe he has been told. Those two are pretty tight.

“Nope,” Sully declares. “Spill it.”

“Fine,” I drag out as if I’m being put out.

Tyler shifts to look at me. His brows pull down because I’m about to tell them something, and I know he doesn’t like it. But these are his friends, and I would never tell them anything I thought he would find inappropriate.

“I was a freshman at Miami when he was a senior. I had just started, and I was a broke college girl, when one day, he wandered by me, staring at the Chinese food truck that sat outside one of the liberal arts halls. Being the nice guy that he is, he stopped and asked me what I wanted. They had these two-dollar eggrolls that were so big and delicious wrapped in foil, and I told him I wanted one of those. He met me in front of that food truck every Monday and Wednesday that semester and bought me lunch.”

“I forgot about that,” he says, looking retrospective.

“I didn’t.” A swell of affection for Tyler creeps in behind my rib cage. He’s done a lot of these little things for me over the years, and I’m certain he doesn’t remember, but I certainly do.

“That’s the story you’re going to give us? One of him being a nice guy and buying you food?” Titan asks.

“Well, he is a nice guy.” I laugh.

A nice guy who’s done an endless list of nice things. Tyler helped me move into my first apartment after sophomore year. He was in the offseason. Dean had transferred and was too busy to show up. He helped me at Lance’s wedding reception take off my shoes. They were killing me, I couldn’t bend over, Dean was nowhere to be found, and Tyler was. He got down on his knees to help me. He also picked me up at the airport when Lance and Casey had their first baby. I wasn’t expecting it, but when I landed, a text came in from Lance that Tyler would be at baggage pickup.