I try to ignore the pang of disappointment I feel when he says Remy isn't coming. I had assumed that she comes to events like these, seeing as she's such a social person. It wouldn't have been the worst thing to hang out with her in public—although I'm not sure I would've been able to keep myself from eye-fucking her.
I smile thankfully when Aiden grabs an IPA from the fridge. He pops the top off with a bottle opener then slides the beer across the counter to me.
"I also have a few friends here from Temple," he continues, crossing his arms and leaning against the bar. "Not sure if you'll know anyone but some of them graduated the same year you did."
I nod, deciding not to tell him that running into people I went to college with doesn’t exactly sweeten the evening for me. I take a swig of my beer.
Someone calls for Aiden from the living room, at which he nods and then turns to me. "I have to go handle that. Max's outside with the rest of the guys if you want to say hey. I know you're not exactly the mingling type." He clasps my shoulder with a big grin. "But thanks for coming anyway."
I flash him a very crooked, very guilty smile.Busted.
I make my way outside, immediately recognizing Lucy's ringing laugh. I find her sitting around the fire with Max and the two new fighters that Aiden had mentioned.
"Holy shit, you actually came!" Lucy exclaims in mock-shock. I roll my eyes and tug her ponytail before giving each of the guys a fist bump.
"Figured I'd bless you with my presence for a while," I tease. I sit down in the camping chair on the other side of the fire and take a swig of my beer.
Lucy rolls her eyes and fakes vomiting on my shoes. I wink at her with a grin.
I turn to the two guys across from me—Dane and Pete, Aiden had said. I've seen them at the gym and know they’ve just joined our fight team, but I haven't spent any time training with them yet. As much time as I spend at the gym, I typically don't remember anyone's name until they've either scheduled privates with me or they've started training with the fighters.
"So, I hear you guys are trying to get on the next fight card," I say by way of a conversation starter. Since I'm here I might as well use the time to get to know the new additions to the team.
They nod, eager to have my attention, and launch into a description of their training and fight goals. I smile and nod along, occasionally adding my thoughts and suggestions when they ask me questions. It makes me happy to see fighters just starting out being this excited about their training. I've been in the game for so long that I've seen plenty of fighters burn out and lose their love for the sport. It’s refreshing to be reminded of the excitement that we all start out with.
"Do you think Jax will fight again?" Dane asks me, as if sensing my train of thought.
I shrug and take a sip of my beer, enjoying the alcohol's pleasant hum in my veins. "I don't know," I answer honestly. "Nowadays I'm not sure he enjoys it as much as he used to. He's so good and could easily go further, but that would mean stepping in with a whole other caliber of fighters—fighters that have their hearts set on the UFC and are willing to dedicate their entire lives to getting there. I don't know if Jax wants to give everything up for that."
They all nod in understanding. The whole gym loves Jax, but we've all noticed that he's been less excited for his fights in the past year.
"Speaking of Jax, when does he get back from San Diego?" I hear Lucy ask.
I turn toward her. "This weekend. Sunday."
"And how has it been living with our darling Remy?" she asks with a grin.
I tense when I realize I have no idea if Remy has told anyone about us. I study Lucy for a moment but decide she's probably not close enough to Remy to warrant that kind of intimate conversation. I know Lucy sensed the tension between us last week, so I answer her question based on the assumption that that's why she's teasing me.
"Well, we're both alive and kicking, so as well as can be expected," I shrug.
"And there have been no other pranks? No other… incidents?"
I narrow my eyes at Lucy and decide she should be the last person to be told any kind of gossip.
But before I get a chance to answer, Max pipes up beside me.
"Speak of the devil," he murmurs. "Look who just walked in."
I turn my head toward the house—and feel my heartbeat stutter, just for a beat—when I see Remy walk through the door.
She immediately commands the attention of the crowd with her genuine smile and unassumingly perfect,womanlybody.Her jeans are tight enough to showcase her very feminine curves, while her trademark combat boots contrast that with her “take no shit” aura. She’s wearing a very cut-out white tank top that lets her black bralette peek through, the lace of which covers just enough of her breasts that it’s not overly revealing, but entirely enticing. My mouth goes dry at just the sight of her.
She greets a few people before spotting our group, then freezes when she notices me.
After a moment she plasters a smile on her face again and walks over to us. "Hi," she squeaks nervously, looking at everyone but me.
I grin at how uncomfortable she looks. Clearly, she's never had to hide a secret about sex before, and I realize quickly that Lucy is going to see right through her.