Page 54 of Reputation
Fate, being the fickle bitch she was, arranged for Jax to step out of the room right as Eavie and Molly drew level with it.
Jax’s dark hair was seductively disheveled, and his shirt clung to his freshly washed chest.Eavie’s mouth went dry as the Sahara Desert at the sight of his toned body, the muscles cutting sharp lines beneath his skin from the recent physical activity of the game, and sexy-as-hell hair.She honestly couldn’t decide what she liked better—the tousled look making her think he’d just rolled out of bed after a night of rough and wild sex, or the backward baseball cap.
Her throat worked in a swallowing motion as she attempted to moisten the passage.Her eyes scanned him up and down involuntarily.Jax turned stormy eyes on her as he fell into step on Eavie’s right, Brooks and Josh right behind him.
The three made quite an image—all tall, built, and unfairly handsome.They looked like they should be walking off a photo shoot, not an ice rink.
Brooks was the largest of the three, both in height and shoulder width.He had jet black hair he kept a little too long, with dark eyes and a chiseled jaw.
Standing about the same height as Jax, Josh had curly, honey-brown hair, and sharp, hazel eyes that almost looked unearthly.
How was it even fair?Their palpable sex appeal was a superpower directed against the world.How on earth was anyone supposed to resist that?
Fuck me,she swore in a half prayer to herself.
“I have to say,” Jax drawled as his presence wrapped around Eavie, “the best part about this road trip is having you two lovely ladies waiting outside the locker room.I could certainly get used to it.”
Eavie kept her eyes fixed ahead, refusing to look more than she already had, but she could feel his eyes heating her skin.This close, she could once again smell his intoxicating scent.The heady mixture of citrus and musk teased her senses and made her mental caliber plummet like a teenager with her first crush.Just like it had when….
Nope, she screamed to herself.She was not going there.
Eavie lifted one corner of her mouth in a wry smile.“I’m sure your ego would love to think that we’re here for your enjoyment,” she responded, adding a layer to her icy walls.If his alter persona wanted to come out and play, she was more than happy to meet it with her well-honed coldness.“Sorry to disappoint you, but we get paid to be here.”
A heartbeat of silence circled the small group as they followed the hallway that would take them out to where their coach bus waited.Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught Jax flick his eyes down to her lips before he looked ahead.His grin widened in self-satisfaction as he said, “You know, I like this feisty side of you.It’s very…” he paused, “compelling.”
He drew the word out, his deep, smooth voice making each syllable sound like his lips caressed every one the same way they would her skin.
She tilted her head, finally shifting her gaze to him.“Feisty?And here I was simply telling the truth.Guess it didn’t come out right,” she added a casual shrug onto the end, hoping it would make him think she couldn’t care less.
“Mm, no.I think you knew exactly what you were doing, and I like it when you get all fired up.”
“That’s just the adrenaline from the game talking,” she shot back, rolling her eyes.“It’ll wear off in five minutes.”
He leaned in a little closer, his steps not faltering for a second as he smirked at her.“It’s definitely not wearing off.If anything, it’s getting stronger.”
Eavie rolled her shoulders, unwilling to back down.“Well then, you might want to try some deep breathing, maybe some meditation, because I’m not liable for any long-term effects.”
He laughed, his lips curving up on one side in a way that had liquid heat rushing through her.“Too late, I’m already hooked.”
“You’ll recover,” she replied unimpressed.“Once the adrenaline wears off, you’ll be just fine.”
“Careful, Cinderella,” he said, drawing out the endearment.“If you keep talking like that, I might start to think you like me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, eyes hard as they turned the last corner.
Eavie held her face in a disinterested mask while her heart began an excited gallop in her chest.She marched through the open bay door, determined not to let him see how easily he affected her.If he knew how responsive she was to any little thing he said or did, his ego would inflate to the size of a hot-air balloon.
Around them, the three spectators were watching their interaction with interest.Molly’s eyes flicked back and forth between them, and she could feel Brooks and Josh watching at her back as she and Jax faced off in the verbal sparring match.Finally, just when the loaded silence had stretched taught, they reached the bus.
“After you,” Eavie said to the players.
Jax stopped and turned toward her, blocking the open door.“Are you ladies going out?”Jax asked before they could escape.
“I don’t believe that’s any of your business,” Eavie said tightly.Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Molly raise her brows at the clipped tone.
Unfazed, Jax chuckled.“I was only asking because some of the guys are heading to a club tonight.I just wanted to invite you.”
“Thank you, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.We should let you boys celebrate the win without thinking the boss’s assistant or PR are watching your every move.”
