Page 93 of The Trade

He nods, rising from his chair. “Yeah, I’ll be back in a minute.”

“I could go with . . .” I trail off, bewildered as he rushes off alone. “Well, alrighty, then.”

With West making his hasty exit, my focus shifts back to our table, where Emmy is sitting by herself, phone practically glued to her hand. “Hey, girl,” I offer, trying to keep my tone light. “Where’s your date?”

Her response is a soft sigh as she glances up from her screen. “He’s over there, hitting it off with some other guy’s date,” she says with a roll of her eyes. I follow her gaze to find the man in question, making himself cozy with someone who is decidedly not Emmy.

“Oh, I see,” I say carefully, studying her expression. “Are you two ... together?”

She shakes her head, letting out a dry laugh. “Hardly know the guy. I came because Shannon told me she would be here, too. I mean, I don’t mind him not sticking around ... I halfway expected it, honestly. But what I didn’t expect is for him to go flirt with everyone else.”

My brows furrow in sympathy, a comforting reply half-formed on my lips when someone interrupts. “Hey, you’re Jade, right?” The voice is masculine, familiar, but I can’t place it immediately.

When I turn to the source, there’s a random guy now filling West’s vacated seat. “Oh, hey,” I say, offering a polite smile. I glance back to Emmy, but her wandering date has already returned. “Yeah, I’m Jade. Have we met?”

The new guy grins, running a hand through his hair as he jogs my memory. “We watched a UFC fight together once. I’m Remi Miller.”

Recognition flickers. “Oh, right. Green hat,” I say, a hint of amusement in my voice.

“Huh?”

I wave his confusion away with a laugh. “Never mind. Enjoying the banquet?”

“Yeah, it’s been great. My date’s off having a chat with my teammates, and I saw you sitting here, so ...”

Glancing around the table, I note that Emmy and her date have vacated as well. Miller and I are the last and only ones here. “West went to get some air.”

“Ah, gotcha.” He slings an arm over the back of my chair, making himself comfortable. “So, heard you and Shannon are roommates.”

“Yes, we are,” I say cautiously. “She’s awesome.”

His interest seems genuine as he leans in closer. “How’d you guys meet?”

“At a camp last summer. We hit it off right away.”

“That’s cool,” he says with a light chuckle. “Must be fun living together.”

“We do have a good—” I’m cut off as he places a hand on my thigh, his fingers brushing against my knee. My words stutter to a halt as my skin prickles under his touch.

“Miller,” I manage to force out, my voice icy cold.

He grins at me, leaning back in his chair. “Call me Remi.”

“Remi,” I snap, my frustration simmering. “You’re aware that I’m here with West, right? We’re a couple.”

His smirk is infuriating, the grip on my knee tightening. “I doubt he’d mind.”

“Well, I’m certain he would,” I shoot back, pushing his hand away and sliding my chair back with a screech. Without another word, I stalk off, leaving Miller behind in my search for West.

God, what a fucking asshole.

I’m seething as I head outside, my mind a whirl of indignation. I mean, there are boundaries, aren’t there? Isn’t there some unspoken rule that you don’t hit on a teammate’s girlfriend? Apparently not at this damn banquet.

As I step into the quiet solitude of the garden, I hope West is done with his “air break.” The last thing I want is to spend any more time alone at this party, especially with Miller lurking around like a little rat on the prowl.

27

WEST

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