Page 131 of The Trade

So, I throw a quick nod to the offense before moving to greet them.

“Shit, West.” Danny cocks a brow. “We thought you wouldn’t make it back in time.”

Strapping my helmet on, I chuckle. “Almost didn’t. But believe me, it was worth every second.”

“Oh?”

A wide, bragging grin spreads across my face. “Jade came back with me. She’ll be staying over for a few nights. Hope that’s alright?”

He gives me a knowing smile. “All good, man. I’ll be at Sofia’s anyway.”

“Awesome.” I turn to Cam next. “Thanks for covering the ticket fare, man. You know I’m good for it.”

“As long as you’re happy.” He jerks his head toward our coach. “You better go join the offense before you piss off Coach, though.”

With a hefty pat on his shoulder, I spin on my heel to join the rest of my crew. Despite the knowledge that I’m in for a brutal practice—both hungover and love drunk—I still feel fucking fantastic. Now that Jade’s back in my life, it’s unlikely anything could knock me off this pedestal.

Emerging from practice three hours later, I’m flushed, soaked in sweat, and running on an adrenaline high from the workout. The lure of the locker room shower is strong, but my eagerness to see Jade is stronger.

We only have this short slice of time together—two and a half days—and I’m not wasting another second of it.

Once I’m home, my bedroom door gives way under the slight pressure of my impatient hand. Jade’s sitting there, cross-legged on my bed with a book in hand, and she glances up as soon I walk in.

“Hey there.” I stride toward her, swooping down to peck her lips. “This is certainly a sight for sore eyes.”

Her answering smile makes my heart stutter. “How was practice?”

“Practice was practice.” I toss her a smirk, peeling off my jersey and the layers of padding beneath. “Come shower with me.”

“Wait.” She blatantly stares at my half-naked body, eyes trailing down to the lace-up fly on my pants—the nylon-and-mesh combo clinging tightly to my thighs. “Your housemates could come home any minute.”

“Danny’s staying at Sofia’s tonight.” I grin, fingers fumbling with the lace ties. “And Cam knows you’re here.”

Her eyes darken. “Still ...”

“Trust me.” I pause my movements. “Even if Cam comes home early, he wouldn’t care. You should’ve heard the noises coming from his room last night.”

Her brows shoot up. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah,” I say awkwardly. “He ended up bringing home that girl from Lucky’s.”

“The one who was flirting with you?”

“Nah.” I brush away her concern with a wince. “He hooked up with her friend.”

“You know it’s okay, right?”

“What’s okay?” I mutter darkly. “That I entertained the idea of picking up some random girl last night when less than a day later, you were already planning to visit ... It still doesn’t sit right.”

As she twists to face me, her legs gently sway over the side of the bed. “Baby, we weren’t together,” she says softly.

“I’m still insisting it was only a break.”

“Okay, Rachel.” A small, knowing smile graces her features as she shakes her head. “Let’s just agree to keep the past in the past. I want to move forward from now on.”

I thread our fingers together. “I want that, too.”

“Then it’s a deal.”

---