Page 48 of Something Unprofessional

What he wanted todo wasdance. After fun, fruity shots at the bar that Finny put on Xavier’s open tab, they hit the dance floor. Ev took turns dancing with Finn and Owen. Archer stayed nearby, sipping a drink and keeping an eye on things as promised. It seemed boring to Ev, but maybe that was what fun looked like when you were Mr. Responsible.

Of the three of them, Owen was the best dancer. He’d taken lessons for years, and it showed. It caught people’s attention, but the girls casting flirty glances their way were headed for disappointment with this group. Well, Archer might be interested, but he was on babysitting duty, so the flirtygirls were doubly out of luck.

From the corner of his eye, Ev saw Archer straighten. Following his gaze, Ev did a double take at the couple headed in their direction, the crowd parting like a curtain.

It was hard to say who was drawing more attention, Kelsey, in her skintight, floor-length, sequined dress, or Remy, in his worn jeans, ball cap, and button-down that seemed to be missing most of its buttons—at the very least, he hadn’t bothered with the ones above his belt buckle. The brim of his hat was pulled low, maybe to protect him from photos, but it didn’t do much to disguise his identity.

“Am I losing it, or is that Remy Dalton?” Owen shouted in his ear over the music.

Aw, crap. He was a terrible roommate. He really needed to get Owen caught up. No time for it now, though. Finn noticed Remy just as he reached them and gave an excited shout, going in for a hug at the same time that Kelsey reached Ev.

“Happy birthday,” she said with a brilliant smile, offering her cheek for Ev to kiss like a true Hollywood diva. Ev laughed and did as he was supposed to.

“You look stunning,” he told her, unable to keep from grinning back. “But how the hell did you get in here? Are you even twenty-one?”

Kelsey smacked his shoulder. “Close enough. And who’s going to card the woman on that guy’s arm?” She gestured to Remy.

Ev laughed again. “Fair enough.” He turned to introduce her to Owen, who was looking a little stunned but reboundedquickly. Luckily, as a makeup artist, he had the advantage of working in an industry where he was often in close contact with famous people, so he’d be a lot smoother around Remy than Ev had been when they’d first met. Owen shook Kelsey’s hand, while complimenting her fit, which made her light up and start talking trends with him.

Ev turned to Remy and got pulled straight into a hug. “Happy birthday, hot stuff,” he said in Ev’s ear.

Ev hugged him back. “Is that going to be a thing? ’Cause you’ll give people the wrong idea.”

Remy grinned as he released Ev, flashing his perfect white teeth. “That’s what I live for.”

Ev shook his head. “You’re trouble.”

“You know it,” Remy said, chucking him under the chin. “Now, who do I need to pay off to get a dance with the birthday boy?”

“Archer, probably,” Ev told him, gesturing to their chaperone, who was standing with his hands in the pockets of his worn, paint-splattered jeans. Ev had assumed they were designer, but now that he thought about it, Archer was some kind of artist, so maybe they were authentic.

Remy gave Archer a lingering once-over. “He’s welcome to stop me,” he said, winking when Archer met his eyes. Archer blinked at him, looking a little off-balance, but who wouldn’t be?

“I’m pretty sure he’s straight.”

Remy shrugged. “That’s usually less of a problem than you’d expect.” He turned back to Ev and held out an arm. “C’mon, let’s make the lookie-loos jealous.”

Ev shook his head. He was never going to get used to Remy, but he stepped closer anyway and let himself be pulled into the rhythm of the music.

They were into the second song when Remy leaned in to say, “If you keep looking at the stairs, I’m going to think you’re hiding from someone.”

Ev dragged his gaze away from the stairs leading to the rooftop. “I’m not hiding,” he said quickly, then groaned at Remy’s smirk. “Don’t be an asshole.”

“I’m just calling it like I see it, kid. And it looks to me like you’re waiting for someone to walk down those stairs.”

Ev thumped his forehead against Remy’s collarbone. “Shut up,” he grumbled.

A moment later, Remy spun them and tilted Ev back in a dip that made him yelp and grab for Remy’s shoulders. “What the fuck?” he asked, laughing and half terrified, even though he knew Remy wouldn’t drop him.

Remy righted him, then gave him a little push that had him taking a stumbling step—only to be caught by strong, familiar arms.

“Just keeping him warm for you,” Remy said to Gabe with a jaunty salute.

Ev’s heart was racing, his brain trying to catch up to the abrupt change in partners. Gabe pulled him closer, and Ev slidhis arms around Gabe’s neck automatically. Gabe’s skin was warm, and Ev wanted to bury his face in the curve of his throat. “Got tired of the grown-up talk?” he asked, pushing away the impulse.

Gabe shifted his gaze from where he was clearly giving Remy some kind of silent warning back to Ev. “More like Xavier couldn’t handle having his boy out of his sight. He gets twitchy.” He pulled Ev closer, and Ev wondered if Xavier was the only one.

“That doesn’t seem a little codependent to you?” he teased.

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