Grinding my teeth, I give a shrug, ignoring how uncomfortable her statement makes me.
“You know how these Price men can be,” she stage whispers. “They like their surprises.”
My father has never surprised my mother with anything.
I grunt, taking a drink from the glass of water in my hand, wishing it was something stronger. I catch Roman’s gaze across the room. His eyes flicker to the company around me and he raises his glass to me with a grimace.
Good luck.
I need it.
I block out my mother’s voice as I scan the room, not looking for anyone in particular, when I spot Emilio walking toward Roman with a concerned frown etched into his face. He says something in Roman’s ear before pointing across the room. Roman’s head jerks in that direction and I follow his gaze to find a petite blond beside Hunt. I can’t see her face with her back toward me, but I’ll assume she’s his date given the way he hovers beside her, his eyes possessive on her face.
Flicking my attention between them and the guys, my mind spins, trying to uncover the problem. Emilio is worked up, not bothering to be discreet any longer as he says something to Roman, waving his hands in the air. Alejandra stands beside them with a furrow between her brows. Seeing me looking, she forces out a smile before nudging Roman with her elbow to get his attention.
He turns to her and she jerks her head at me. Letting me know that whatever the problem is, it involves me. When Roman looks my way, a flash of something darkens his gaze. He says something else that I can’t hear.
Frustration courses through me and I turn back to Hunt, only this time, I can make out his date’s profile. With her hair pulled away from her face in a ballerina’s knot, I’m able to see her heart-shaped face, full lips, and delicate nose.
What. The. Fuck?
My ears ring, my feet moving before I’ve even processed what I’m going to do next. The fingers on my arm tighten, keeping me in place.
I turn my dark glare to my date, wordlessly ordering her to let go.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she hisses between her teeth, nails digging into my arm as she throws a comment over her shoulder and steers me away. “You can’t storm over there.” Strain brackets her mouth as she maintains her forced smile. “You’ll cause a scene.”
I don’t care. “Let go,” I growl, voice pitched low, but there’s no mistaking my vicious intent. I could break her hold easily enough. This is the only warning she’ll get from me.
Her lips thin and she relaxes her grip. “You’re making a mistake.”
Her hand falls away with my next step. “I’m sorry,” I tell her, meaning it.
She huffs out an exasperated breath. “It’s fine. I’ll keep your mother busy as long as I can. Go get her.”
On the drive over, Tamara hammered me with questions about Kasey, and for some unknown reason, I answered them. She knows the gist of what’s going on between us. I told her Kasey was my girl. The whole point in telling her was so she understood why I needed to bring our fake relationship to a close. It didn’t feel right leaving with Tamara. There was hurt in Kasey’s eyes. A look of betrayal.
It didn’t sit right with me.
Tamara called me an idiot in the car for not telling Kasey about the dinner ahead of time, but I’ve been so fucking busy, and it never dawned on me that Kasey was in the dark about things. The guys know shit with Tamara is fake, and I assumed someone would have said something. That Kasey knew.
When she fled down the hallway, I told myself I’d explain everything to her as soon as the dinner ended. What if it’s too late?
Fuck. Tamara was right. I should have found the time to tell her.
It’s Deacon who spots me first, giving me an arrogant smirk. Teammate or not, I will pummel his face into the ground if he touches her.
“What’s up,bro?” The way he emphasizes the word bro is mocking.
I ignore him and grab Kasey by the arm, spinning her around to face me.
“What are you doing?” she grits through her teeth.
Roman, Allie, and Emilio step up beside me, forming a half circle around us. They must have headed this way when I did.
“Everything good?” Roman asks.
“Yeah.” Deacon grabs Kasey by the elbow and draws her back to him.
