Page 23 of Ruthless Edge

I look at them standing there.

Laura is everything I'm not, in the specific way she's always been everything I'm not. Tall, blond, wearing an outfit that doesn't ask her to think twice about her body. She looks right next to Knox Carter. She fits the way things fit when they were always supposed to go together.

I'd let myself forget that for a few hours. That was my mistake.

Landon smiles and waves us over. “Here, take this table. Get some drinks. Food. I appreciate you coming.”

The three of us sit at the table and Laura strokes Knox’s arm.

I’m in hell.

Chapter Six

Knox

The first thing I notice is Emma's face changing.

I then hear Laura's voice before I see her. She pops up at everything, team events, parties, and apparently backstage at Hacksack Blues. That's just Laura. Emma is the one I'm watching. She'd been laughing forty seconds ago, against what seemed like her entire will, singing along to every word of that last song and not looking embarrassed about it. I'd been watching her do that and thinking okay, we're finally getting somewhere, and then Laura's voice cuts through and Emma's face closes like a door.

That's what I noticed first.

Laura wraps her arms around me from the side, bright and cheerful, explaining she heard me mention the concert so she thought she'd stop by. She does that. She turns up at things. It's a two-year pattern and I've stopped registering it as notable. She’s just another girl who gets her kicks from hanging around athletes. Who would sleep with any of us if we gave her even a little bit of attention. Not my type at all. Not in any way, but I’m polite to her the same way I’m polite to all the jersey chasers. I give her a quick side hug and then I'm looking at Emma.

Emma is looking at her phone.

We sit at the table while Landon finishes up with the band. Laura takes the seat beside me before anyone else has moved, which is also just what Laura does. I'm not thinking about it because I'm too busy trying to figure out what happened to Emma's expression and whether I can do anything about it. Emma sits across from us. She looks professional. Polite. The same face she had in that conference room on day one.

She was nowhere near that face twenty minutes ago.

"So you watched the whole concert?" Laura asks. She's half-turned toward me, leaning in a little. "How was it?"

"Really good. Emma knew the whole set."

Emma looks up briefly. "The band's been building a following for three years. It makes sense to know their music."

"She sang every word," I say. "To everything."

Laura laughs. "That's so cute." She turns to Emma. "You're a huge fan?"

"They're good," Emma says.

The waitress comes by. I ask for another beer. Emma orders another apple martini.

"Oh God," Laura says, and she sounds genuinely entertained. "Those are so sweet. I don't know how anyone drinks them."

"They're good," Emma says. Same voice.

"Oh I'm sure. I just can't do all that sugar. It goes straight to—" Laura makes a gesture I don't entirely track. "You know what I mean. I've never really understood girls who order those drinks. Like, there's a whole bar." She gestures at the taps and then orders the same beer I'm having, and says something about how she and I have always had similar tastes in things.

I'd teased Emma about the apple martini earlier. She'd fired back and it had been funny. Laura is basically saying the same thing. Emma's expression is different now, though. I don't know why.

Laura looks at Emma and says, "I like your outfit, by the way." Emma glances down at herself. "My little sister dresses exactly like that. She has great taste in casual stuff."

Emma says, "Thanks," and looks at the table.

I'm almost certain that was supposed to be a compliment.

I'm less certain Emma took it that way.