Page 41 of Reputation (Toronto Royals #1)

Shaking Molly awake, she gathered her bag and led the team off the plane. The drive to the hotel was short, and they soon pulled up to one a few blocks from where the Royals would play the LA Titans on Saturday.

The group stumbled off the bus and up to their rooms. Eavie and Molly had separate ones this time, across the hall from each other. Eavie didn’t mind, though. She could use some solitude to figure her shit out.

The following day, she spent her morning hiking the Hollyridge trail, the only company her own frustrating, inconsistent thoughts. Instead of it being a relaxing hike to help her release the tension and disheartenment that had built up inside her, she still felt confused and fucking horny .

Goddammit! Could she not get a break for just one bloody day ?

On Sunday, as the team went to morning skate, Eavie and Molly spent the first part of the day wandering Rodeo Drive, and Eavie was in absolute heaven. The white stone, two-story buildings that lined either side beckoned to her love of fashion.

The tree-lined street offered small reprieves of shade as they meandered between stores with the socialites and stars of Beverly Hills.

They perused stores of designer brands, had coffee at one of the many cafés that dotted the neighborhood, and stopped for lunch at a little restaurant between Versace and Louis Vuitton.

Being on Rodeo Drive was a dream come true for Eavie, and she soaked in every second.

The shopping therapy did more for her than the endorphins from her hike yesterday.

Sitting on the patio of the small restaurant called Sapphire and Sage, Eavie took a sip of her lemon water, enjoying the ambiance around her.

She and Molly had finished their food, which was incredible.

Eavie had devoured her handmade pasta in a brown butter sauce, topped with mushrooms and wild truffles, while Molly had enjoyed her duck with orange reduction on risotto.

Between them sat an empty plate that had contained the burrata with pesto and tomato they had shared.

“So,” Molly said after a few moments of companionable silence. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on between you and Jax?”

Eavie’s head turned sharply to look at her. “What?” she asked, surprised at the sharp change in subject. Molly had said it casually, but she heard the disapproval.

“Listen, you can try to deny it, but I won’t believe you. I’ve seen the looks you two throw at each other when you think no one is looking.”

Eavie shook her head, covering her mouth with one hand. “Oh god. Is it that obvious?” she mumbled from behind it.

Molly blew out a heavy breath but shook her head. “No,” she said. Her face took on a contemplative look. “I don’t think anyone else has noticed, but I saw you two last night.” When Eavie gave her a guilty look, she laughed. “Did you really think I couldn’t see you sitting at the bar?”

Eavie rolled her lips between her teeth, not sure what to say. She hadn’t even thought about it, which was a red flag on its own. What if Molly hadn’t been the only one? She hadn’t noticed anyone else from the team there, but then again, she hadn’t been paying attention.

“Then when you two left together, I thought maybe you went to…” She dropped her sunglasses down her nose, giving Eavie a questioning look.

“No!” Eavie exclaimed, sitting up. She vigorously shook her head. “No, no. We did not sleep together. We went and got pizza, and then we came right back.” She left out the part about how he’d nearly had her swooning in the elevator from just touching her.

“I see,” said Molly.

She sat back in her chair, her hands folded demurely in her lap. She gazed at Eavie with an assessing look, one Eavie had no doubt was why she was so good at her job. Molly was incredible at reading people, and beneath her otherwise bubbly attitude was a woman who knew how to get shit done.

Suddenly, she sat forward, propping her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her palm. “Okay, so you haven’t slept together. But you can’t tell me nothing’s going on,” she said seriously.

Eavie lifted her own sunglasses off her face, pushing them back onto her head. She met her gaze unflinchingly. “Nothing is going on between Jax and I,” she said firmly.

Molly frowned. “You’re lying.”

With a disbelieving laugh, Eavie replied, “I’m not.”

Molly sat up straight now, holding both hands out, palms down.

“Okay, let’s just forget for a second our jobs, the organization, and our…

obligations,” she said, subtly referring to the involvement policy.

“Let’s just pretend for right now, we’re just two friends chatting.

This is a safe space, around people who couldn’t care less about who we are or what we are doing with our lives.

” Eavie swallowed but nodded. “You’re seriously telling me that nothing is going on between you and Jax? ”

“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.”

“Eavie,” she said, a disbelieving puff of air blowing out her lips. “How is that possible? Have you seen how that man looks at you?”

Eavie gave her a confused look. “What are you talking about?”

Molly’s eyebrows shot up so far on her head that Eavie was worried they might fly off. “Girl,” Molly began, leaning forward again. She scooted to the edge of the chair to stare at her dead-on. “That man looks at you like he wants to own you.” She said it without a trace of humor or teasing.

Eavie’s instinct was to laugh at the dramatics of that statement, but she knew Molly wasn’t joking. She also knew that it was absolutely true.

“I…” she began, shaking her head. She didn’t know how to react to someone else vocalizing what she had been trying to deny. “I mean, I don’t know I would put it like that.” She looked down at the table, her fingers picking at the white linen covering it.

“Oh no, don’t play dumb. It’s so obvious that man wants you—bad. Like he wants to take you to his place and fuck you so hard that you can’t walk.”

Eavie’s mouth dropped open as her eyes flew back to Molly. She did not know what to say to that.

Was it true? I mean, she knew he watched her, had seen his eyes darken when they were close. And yes, she knew he wanted her. He couldn’t hide the hard-on he’d been sporting while they were pressed together in the elevator. But could the desire she’d read in his eyes be that…intense?

She wasn’t used to men who could easily fill the role Molly had just described.

She was used to softer men, ones that didn’t have a dominant bone in their body.

But Jax…well, her mind grabbed onto the image of him throwing her over his shoulder and taking her to his hotel room where he…

owned her. Her hormones jumped on board with that idea real fast, and she found she wanted it—to have a man so consumed with her that she gave herself over to him completely.

Fuck me, she thought for the hundredth time.

“Wow,” Molly breathed in disbelief. “You really aren’t used to this, are you?”

Flustered, she shook her head vehemently.

“It doesn’t matter,” Eavie said, sitting up.

“I…he…we would never work.” She took a sip of water.

“Look, we can sit here and suspend reality, pretending like I’m not who I am or that Jax isn’t who he is.

But we can’t act like my job doesn’t sit directly in our way.

” Eavie could feel tears sting her eyes, in sadness at the reality of the situation, or in anger she didn’t know.

She blinked them back, refusing to allow them to fall.

“And we can’t change who we are. Jax is the one-night-stand kind of guy.

He hasn’t been in a relationship since his ex-fiancée two years ago, but he’s been with plenty of women.

He’s not looking for a relationship, and I do not do casual,” she stated firmly, breathing hard from her outburst.

Molly regarded her, giving her a moment to settle herself. “So you’re telling me that if that man asked you out, you would say no?”

“I already have.”

It was Molly’s turn to look shocked. “He’s asked you out? And you said no?”

“Yes,” Eavie said.

Molly nodded again as her mouth twisted in contemplation. It looked like she was digesting the conversation as two different people—a friend, and the Director of Player Relations for the company they worked for.

Trying not to let her job influence her reaction couldn’t be easy.

Eavie could see the battle Molly fought internally, knowing she had a duty to the Royals but also wanting to be a friend.

Feeling like she was dragging Molly into something that would put her in a difficult position, Eavie decided to make it easy for her.

“Molly, I appreciate you suspending our obligations for a moment, but I know I can’t get involved with him.

Even if the policy wasn’t standing in our way, I don’t date people I work with.

That’s never ended well in all the times I’ve heard about other people doing it.

” She shook her head, a small, sad smile on her lips.

“Nothing is going on between us.” She reached out to squeeze Molly’s hand.

“Let’s not ruin our lovely weekend talking about this anymore.

I know all the risks, and I promise you, as charming as he might be, Jax isn’t a risk I can take,” she said by way of explanation.

After a moment of loaded silence, Molly said, “Okay,” and slid her glasses back up her nose. She leaned back in her chair, sipping her orange juice. “Let’s just enjoy the rest of the morning. I think I’ve got a second wind in me. How about we hit a few more stores before we call it a day?”

Eavie laughed. “ That I won’t say no to.”