Page 31 of Reputation
“Good morning, Fred.”She smiled brightly at him.“How was your weekend?Did the girls enjoy the zoo?”she asked, inquiring about the trip he’d planned with his three young daughters.
“Oh, they had a great time!Thank you for the tip about the otter babies.The girls went crazy for them,” he said, his eyes crinkling at the concerns of his dark face as he spoke of his girls.
Behind him, Eavie saw Jax grimace, shaking his head.No doubt he caught her use of Fred’s first name and the friendly conversation.
“Otters are my favorite too.The babies are so fuzzy and cute.I love watching them play in the water, and I am not afraid to admit it,” she said, chuckling.“If you want to grab a seat, I’ll check if Sam is ready for your meeting.Can I get you anything to drink?”she asked, standing and coming around her desk.
“A coffee would be great, thank you,” Fred said.
She knocked on Sam’s door and entered at his signal.“Fred and Jax are here for your meeting.Can I get you a coffee?”
“Yes, please.You can send them in as well,” he replied.
As she headed back out, she nodded to the two of them.“He’s ready for you.I’ll be right in with coffee.”
She could hear their footsteps as they headed into Sam’s office, but not before she felt Jax’s eyes on her back as she started working the coffee machine on the sidebar.She focused on her task and waited until she heard the soft click of the office door.
Letting her shoulders fall, she took a deep breath as she brewed two coffees, adding some cream to Fred’s, before taking them into the meeting.
She entered silently and placed both cups down in front of their owners before turning to exit as quietly as she’d come in.When she passed by Jax, she couldn’t help but catch his eye, and the instant they connected, she felt that strange jolt shoot through her.
Steeling her insides, she smiled and nodded to him before escaping to the sanctuary of her office.Once on the other side of the door, she sagged against it and took another deep breath.
What the fuckwasthat?
Flailing to keep hold of the precarious grip on her professional facade, she gave herself a mental slap and resecured the frostiness that kept most players away.She needed to keep her guard up around that man.He had an innate ability to smash right through her walls without even lifting a finger.All it took was a goddamnlookfrom him, and her insides melted.
Moving back behind her desk, she flopped into her chair.Rubbing a hand across her forehead, she concluded the only way to accomplish that was to avoid him as much as possible.She would start by ensuring she and Mandy went to lunch before his meeting ended so she wouldn’t be here when Jax came out.
She carefully watched the clock over the next half hour.The meeting was scheduled to end at noon, which meant if she left now, she had a good thirty-minute buffer before she had to be back.Sliding her chair out, she grabbed her bag and hurried to Mandy’s office across the hall.
“Hi!”she said, breezing through the door.“I know it’s a little early, but I’m starving.How do you feel about going to lunch now?”She smiled innocently, placing one hand over her belly.
“Ugh, yes.Your timing is perfect.I’ve been trying to reconcile Jason’s expenses all morning.My eyes are about to cross.”
Laughing, they made their way to the elevators.Despite knowing the meeting would likely take the full hour, Eavie couldn’t help checking over her shoulder for any signs of Jax.Only when the elevator doors slid closed did she release a heavy breath that, for some reason, felt more like disappointment than relief.
Chapter Thirteen
Jax
He’d fucked up—badly.
Jax had known the second the words came out of his mouth that day after the team meeting.The way her eyes turned hard, and her perfect mouth settled into a pout told him he’d said the absolute wrong thing.
Not that he’d needed her reaction to tell him that.Jax had wanted to take the words back as soon as he’d spoken them.He had no idea why he’d acted as he had.That guy wasn’t who he was.He wanted, no, needed, her to know that.He’d panicked as he stood staring into her gorgeous, intelligent eyes.The second he’d been within touching range of her, his body reacted, ready and excited to have her near again.
His mind had then overreacted to the intense reactions toward her.Like a protective shield, his media persona had come out to protect his withered heart.
It hadn’t helped that he’d been foolish enough to listen toThe Breakaway Zonepodcast that morning on the way in.The comments from the hosts, who also happened to be sports reporters, about his career and the worthiness of his skills had left him with a sore jaw from clenching his teeth.
His comment to her had been a reflex, one he employed with women, the media, or anyone outside his team and family.
He’d regretted it instantly, but apparently, the experience hadn’t been enough to stop him from acting like a fool around her repeatedly.Now he was paying for his royal fuck-ups.
Twice more now, he’d dug himself a hole so deep he would be lucky if she ever looked at him without the flash of ice in her eyes.He worried that his armor, manifesting in an ulterior personality, had damaged his image in her eyes so badly that he would never redeem himself.
Sitting with his elbows on his knees, hands folded casually between them, Jax resisted the urge to check the time on his Tag Heuer watch.Adding to his already confusing actions toward her, it also bothered him that his focus wasn’t entirely on business.Instead, he was tuned into where she sat on the other side of the door.
