Page 13 of Reputation
Jax Morghan.Number eighty-five of thefucking Royals—star, captain, and known playboy—Jax Morghan.It was a name she knew well—one she should have been able to connect to him an hour ago when she first met him.She had known he looked familiar.Now, she berated herself for her lack of recognition.
Eavie had almost gone home with him—something she had never done before.She did not do one-night stands, but something between them had her ready to take that leap…and fall straight off a cliff into the death of her career.
She’d wanted to luxuriate in the high his touch and mouth had been bringing to her, wanted to prolong their time together.After debating the merits of going home with him, she’d decided to do something a little reckless for once in her life.It was her night to celebrate, after all.Thank God she had decided she needed to at least know his name if she was going to get naked with a stranger.
Unbelievable, she thought annoyed.Why did the first guy to stimulate her interest in averylong time have to be Jax Morghan?
This was why she did not do things impulsively.God, she should have listened to the logical voice in her head.Without even knowing it, she had nearly broken a term of her new contract.This was so bad.She had just made out, in a bar, with Jax Morghan.Well, she had done more than that, if she was being honest.She had rubbed herself against him, had felt his cock, hard and unyielding, stroke between her thighs.What a fantastic first impression that would be when he found out who she was.
Heat burned her chest when she thought about the sounds she had been making.
Rushing through the groups of people, eyes fixed on the front door, she fought against her body’s demand to turn around.She could feel Jax’s eyes heating a trail along her back, but she steeled herself to resist, no matter how much she wanted to give in and look at him again.
Just as she made it to the heavy door of the bar, she heard Joyce call her name behind her.Knowing if she stopped now her eyes would seek him, Eavie pushed out into the night.The cool air washed across her overheated skin, making her remember she’d left her jacket at the table with Joyce.
“Fuck,” she muttered to herself.She was so out of sorts that she was now standing outside in her short-sleeved shirt.
She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold on to some of her heat as she debated what to do.If she went back in, he would find her, and she wasn’t sure she could resist him a second time.
“Eavie,” came Joyce’s voice again.The noise of the crowd inside filtered out behind her as she came jogging out the door.Draped over her arm was Eavie’s coat.Her shoulders relaxed slightly, incredibly thankful for her best friend.“Are you okay?”she asked, her face scrunched in concern.
Eavie nodded quickly to reassure her.Nothing had happened that she hadn’t been an equal participant in.“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Okay, good.”She breathed out, looking back toward the door.“What the hell happened?One second, I saw you two talking at the bar, and then you were following him down the hallway.The next thing I know, you come running out—alone.”
Eavie threw her coat on, zipping the leather up to her neck.Silence loaded the space between them for a heartbeat.The weight of it felt like a thousand eyes on her as she looked up the street toward their building.She wanted nothing more than to run home and bury herself under her covers.
It was ridiculous.She had been in his presence for less than an hour.Sure, he kissed her like she had never been kissed before, and the sound of his voice elicited all kinds of dirty things to flit through her mind.
Good girl.
The words he had spoken to her clanged through her again.She never thought she would have enjoyed hearing a man say that to her.
Then, there was the simple pleasure she had felt at talking to him.It had been so…easy.No awkward silences, no red flags.
Stop it,she demanded of her mind, which was replaying the last hour like a movie on a big screen.The heavy ache that had formed in her lower belly and the excited thrum bursting through her veins needed to crawl back into the dark depths of her uterus where it had awoken from and stay there.
Chastising herself for the lunacy of her reactions to him, she collected herself enough to keep her voice even as she answered Joyce.
Looking directly into her eyes, Eavie said.“He’s Jax Morghan.”
Silence stretched between them again as Joyce’s eyes expanded in shock.Her mouth popped open in a small O.“What?”she demanded.
Eavie nodded, looking down at the pavement beneath her feet.Fate was a cruel bitch.
“Well, fuck,” Joyce said, turning to look back toward the bar.“That sucks.You looked like you were enjoying yourself.If he had been anyone else, it would have been perfect.”
The irony wasn’t lost on her that the first man to ever light her body up like a firework was also completely off-limits.For the few moments she had spent talking to him, she had been optimistic her dry spell might finally end.
Besides the complication of her contract with the Royals, Eavie had a hard rule about getting involved with athletes, specifically hockey players.Been there, done that, got burned.The humiliation of the day her then-boyfriend had told everyone he had only been with her because she was hot still burned inside her chest.As soon as she had slept with him, he broke up with her, saying she would never be more than a trophy wife.
Even now, she could still feel the hurt and humiliation that followed her throughout her senior year.
When she’d moved to the city for university, she’d sworn off those types of guys—cocky, full of themselves, who thought they were god’s gift to women.Not only that, but it would also be monumentally stupid to get involved with a player on the team she would soon work for.
Which meant that there was no way, under any circumstances, could she ever allow that man to satisfy the desire ignited by his touch…and smell…and gaze.Eavie groaned to herself as she replayed the effects all three had on her.
It didn’t matter that he seemed different from what she had expected.His reputation would have her believe he was cocky, arrogant, catered to.Hell, she knew he had a different woman on his arm for every event or function he went to.Rumors had filtered down to the Heirs about him, and she would have been inclined to believe them—until now.
