Page 34 of Reputation (Toronto Royals #1)

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.”

“Oh, trust me,” he practically purred, “I would be more than happy to be watched by the boss’s assistant. I think…” he paused, taking an almost imperceptible step closer, “she would enjoy what she saw.” His voice turned gravelly as a mischievous glint sparked in his darkening eyes.

Annoyance shot through her at his arrogance. His assumption that he knew what she would enjoy irritated her, even more so because she had a quiet suspicion he would be right.

Her ordinarily calm temper rose as her eyes narrowed on him. “I’m confident she wouldn’t enjoy the view,” Eavie replied through clenched teeth despite the false smile she plastered on her face.

His smile only grew in response to her surfacing ire. Damn him—he was enjoying eliciting this response from her. The thought that he took pleasure from even her irritation just flared her temper further.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” he practically whispered.

Eavie wasn’t sure if the other three people around them could hear, but she was aware of their presence and keen focus on them.

He let his meaning sink in before he stepped back and continued. “Have yourselves a good night, ladies.”

Still annoyed at his confidence, she had to force her jaw to unstick. Licking her lower lip quickly, she said, “Enjoy your celebration, boys,” refusing to give him more.

A crooked smile tugged at his lips as he tracked her tongue’s movement before he stepped back and nodded at Molly before he gracefully climbed the stairs of the bus. Brooks and Josh gave her amused smiles before they turned and followed Jax.

As they watched them disappear inside, Molly stepped up beside her so her arm brushed Eavie’s. “Sooo,” she said, underlining the word with the extra O’s. “You want to explain what that was about?”

Shit . Just what she needed. Someone else picking up on their…ugh, whatever the fuck this was!

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eavie said as she lifted her chin slightly, trying not to blush.

“Mmm,” Molly said, the sound disapproving. “Be careful there.”

The quiet warning was enough to make Eavie swallow.

Back at the hotel, Eavie adorned herself with a gold satin slip dress that fell just above her knees, with a high halter neckline and a swooping low back.

She paired the outfit with her nude stiletto pumps and a simple white clutch.

She left her hair as it was, piled in a high bun, and added only a touch more bronzer to her cheeks, finishing the look with a pinkish shimmering lip gloss.

Even though she normally went heavier on make-up for a night out, since she was here with the Royals organization, she felt like she was still at work and office social etiquettes were still in place.

It was why they would not be joining the team at the club.

Molly, apparently, didn’t have the same trepidation as she did.

Stepping into the suite’s living area, she called out to see if she was ready.

Clad in a tight, deep turquoise dress with a square neckline that hit mid-thigh, black suede chunky stilettos, and a velvet black clutch tucked under her arm, Molly emerged from her bedroom holding out two lipstick tubes.

“Which one do you think is better?” she asked.

Eavie took in the rest of Molly’s ensemble.

She’d shaken out her thick, chocolate-brown hair so that it curled wildly down her back.

She had gone heavier on the eyeliner, with dark purple eyeshadow and a light swipe of bronzer.

The effect on her caramel eyes was stunning, and the tight dress hugged her generous Italian curves, as Molly had once described them.

Eavie studied the colors of the lipstick Molly held out. One was a deep red, and the other a deep raspberry.

“The raspberry, definitely,” Eavie said, nodding toward her outfit. “It’ll go better with the dress.”

Not one to debate, Molly turned and chucked the red lipstick onto her bed before she pivoted on her heels to face the giant, gold-trimmed hall mirror in their suite entryway. She deftly swiped the color onto her thick lips before tossing it into her clutch.

Eavie never had a reason to be jealous of someone else’s lips. She knew she had a good set—a desirable set of her own. But they were nothing compared to the wide, full lips that sat perfectly on Molly’s round face. Despite her own confidences, she couldn’t help but envy them.

“Ready?” Molly asked, turning to look at Eavie expectantly.

“Yep,” she answered, fiddling with a loose strand of hair. “Where should we go?”

“How about the casino downstairs? It’s been a long week, and I’m a bit tired. Plus, it’s already pretty late. I’m not sure I want to try to get in anywhere tonight.”

Relief washed through Eavie. She wanted to have some fun tonight, but truthfully, she was not feeling up to clubbing.

“That sounds great to me,” she replied with a nod.