I barely manage to swallow a hysterical laugh. What have I gotten myself into? “I certainly feel something.”
Adler wiggles his fingers suggestively. “A little tingle, maybe?”
Owen’s body is tight with tension. “Adler.Sit down.”
“You heard the man,” Viktor agrees. He raises his beer in a toast. “Nice hip flexor control, by the way, but be careful. You don’t want to torque a nut.”
This time, the manic cackle escapes me without warning.
Knova rubs the furrow between her eyebrows. “Remy, blink twice if you want a different job.”
“Yeah,” Bowen agrees. “Say the word, and we’ll tell Dante to trade him.”
Knight sits on the far side of the table with his arm draped around his wife’s shoulder. “Is this Latham’s fault? This feels like Latham’s fault.”
Camden gives him a thumbs-up. “Yup. I fear the hip thrust is how he got here. I feel bad for your mom, Adler. How many mattresses have your parents gone through?”
The chirping continues, but Owen doesn’t join in. He’s silent, but his eyes remain locked on Adler like he’s identifying weak points.
Knova sweeps in to rescue me. “Come with me to the bar,” she says.
I waffle for a few seconds. I don’t know what’s going on with Adler and Owen, and I don’t want things to escalate if I step away. On the other hand, Adler seems to be using me to needle Owen, and while I don’t get why, taking a minute to step out of the picture might be a good thing.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell Owen.
He only grunts. Of course.
Knova loops her arm through mine and steers me out of the private room. Violet joins us as we pass.
The rest of the bar is much quieter. The voices of the players still filter out, but I can finally hear myself think.
“So,” Knova asks, “you’re sleeping with the grumpy goalie?”
I choke on empty air. “What? No!”
“Really?” Knova bellies up to the bar and narrows her eyes at me, assessing. “You two were getting pretty cozy over there.”
Violet stands at my other side and leans forward to address Knova. “It’s true. That’s why Adler’s, you know. Being Adler. To get under Owen’s skin.”
“He’s myclient!”
“Mm. Understood.” Knova waves to the bartender. I don’t think she understands anything, but after my conversation with Cara the other night, I don’t think anything I say will convince her that I’m not attracted to Owen.
Because you are.And not just in an abstract sense. You want him to touch you.
Violet interrupts my unwelcome revelation. “So, Remy, what brought you to Vegas? I hear you’re from the East Coast originally.”
I push aside thoughts of Owen and let the WAGs draw me into small talk. They’re much more interesting than I expected. Knova’s brand of dry humor would do well in New England, and Violet goes out of her way to make me feel included. Eventually, Sofia joins us, and I learn all about her jewelry business and her first-time-mom panic. The ladies are good friends, but they aren’t stuck up about it.
Eventually, people start to peel off. Sofia and Knight leave together. A group of the newer players decides to play paintball together and order a couple of Ubers. Lenyx and Adler agree to join them.
“You want to come, Owen?” Adler calls.
If looks could kill, Owen’s glare would be instantaneously fatal. “No.”
“We’ll miss you!” Adler blows him a kiss. “Remy? You want to join? I bet you’re a good shot, right?”
Lenyx grabs him by the arm. “Keep it moving, or we reallyaregoing to get Dante to trade you.”
