Page 44 of Reputation (Toronto Royals #1)

Chapter Twenty Seven

Eavie

Closing her eyes briefly, she drew a deep breath to mask the nervous flutter in her stomach. Gracefully, she glanced over her shoulder with a look of polite interest. Her eyes connected with Jax’s the moment her head turned, and she swore she saw vivid blue sparks explode between them.

As he approached, she saw a fire in his eyes as he took her in, body clad in the tight black dress that revealed her back and legs. When he reached their table, he smiled down at her before flicking his eyes over to Austin.

“Jax,” Eavie said, fixing a polite smile on her lips. “It’s nice to see you.” Humor passed over his face at her formal greeting.

“Eavie,” he said, returning her smile with the crooked one she thought of distinctly as his. It never failed to cause her knees to go weak, even sitting in a chair.

“This is Austin Kane,” she said, breaking their connection. She turned and gestured across the table to where her date sat, eyes flicking between them. “My…date,” she finished hesitantly.

Jax paused for a heartbeat, and Eavie swore she could see tension enter his muscles at the word “date.” She must have been mistaken, though, because he smiled at Austin a second later and reached out to shake his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you. Jax Morghan.”

Austin stood from where he sat and returned Jax’s handshake. “Nice to meet you as well. I’m a big fan of the Royals.”

“Thank you,” Jax said. “You should come to a game sometime. Eavie, can set you up in one of the boxes.”

She watched their exchange, aware of a low hum of energy radiating off Jax. Was it possible that what she had seen when she introduced him to her date was jealousy?

She was still contemplating this when Jax turned back to her. Looking up at him, Eavie saw a flash of something in his eyes. Her entire body lit with heat when she recognized it as possessiveness. Jax Morghan was definitely jealous.

Just then, a tall, curvy blonde clad in a tight dress an obnoxious color of red, walked up to them, shaking Eavie out of the trance his eyes always seemed to put her in.

The woman stopped beside Jax and placed a possessive hand on his arm.

Eavie couldn’t help but think she had gold digger written all over her.

Her own head of jealousy roared inside at the sight of another woman’s hand on him.

“Darling,” she said in a sugary voice that made Eavie want to gag. “Our table is over there.”

She smiled down at Eavie but, from the sharp flick of her eyes, could tell the woman was sizing her up. Behind the fake smile and layers of make-up was a mutual dislike. Clearly, she didn’t like Jax’s attention being on another woman, no matter who she was.

Eavie smiled as kindly as she could at the woman before turning back to him.

“It was nice seeing you, Jax,” she said, watching how her use of his first name lit a flash of desire in his eyes.

She could only think of one other time before tonight she had addressed him with it.

“Good luck tomorrow. I’ll see you at the game. ”

He looked down at her for a long moment before he smiled.

“Enjoy your evening. Austin, nice to meet you,” he said before placing his hand on the small of the blonde’s back and steering her toward their table.

Eavie watched them leave, an irritation rising in her at his hand resting just above the woman’s ass.

She turned back to Austin with a forced smile before taking a large sip of her wine.

“He seems nice,” he commented, setting his napkin back down on his lap.

“Yeah, most of the guys are,” she answered, trying to draw the focus off Jax. “So you said your sister’s family was close by. Does she have kids?”

He smiled fondly. “Yes, a boy and twin girls. I’ve always been close with my family and like spending as much time with my nieces and nephew as possible. What about you? Are you close with your family?”

“Very,” she said, happy to be back on casual date conversation. “I have a twin brother and my parents live a few hours north.”

Their waiter came to clear their plates and took their dessert order. When he left, she excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Standing, she gracefully walked away, aware of the possibility Austin was watching. She hoped he was, or at least, she thought she did. Jax showing up had confused the hell out of her again, so now instead of thinking about her date watching her walk away, she was thinking about him .

She turned left into the hallway that led to the bathrooms. Up ahead, it branched out into a T, with the women’s washroom to the right, and men’s to the left.

Just as she was about to step into the bathroom, a large, strong hand wrapped around her arm, pulling her through a door that said Staff Only .

Inside was a small storage room filled with crates and shelves.

“Jax, what the hell,” she whispered sharply as the door closed behind her. “What are you doing here?” She was pissed he was here at all, let alone interrupting her date—twice.

Instead of answering her, he backed her against the door, caging her in with his arms on either side of her head.

He was breathing heavily, eyes dark as a winter storm.

Her body responded to the power, to the intense waves of dangerous desire rolling off him.

Her heart reacted in her chest, even as her head managed to remain clear.

“Jax,” she repeated, more calmly this time. Her mouth pinched into a firm line as she exhaled through her nose. “What are you doing?”

She could see the torment on his face. The set of his jaw, the way he looked at her. Despite her annoyance at him, she hated to see him like this.

“I needed to talk to you,” he said gruffly, his breath fanning over her face.

She fought the instinct to close her eyes as she shook her head. “No, what I mean is, what are you doing here, at this restaurant? Did you know I was going to be here?” His gaze dropped guiltily as he drew in a deep breath. She sighed. “Mandy,” she muttered.

“I stopped by your office to see you. I needed to talk to you, but you weren’t there. When Mandy told me you had a date…”

“You decided to find the most WASPy looking woman you could and bring her here to what? Make me jealous?” she accused.

Silence was her only answer, and a bitter laugh escaped her.

Ducking, she moved out from where he’d had her trapped by the door.

This was completely unfair. From the beginning, she’d be clear about where she stood with him.

Yes, she’d slipped up a few times, and that was on her, but she’d never given him any indication that there could be more.

He had no right to be here, making her feel like she was betraying him.

“You can’t do this,” she said, turning pleading eyes on him.

“You haven’t spoken to me since Vegas. In the times I’ve seen you, you’ve given me barely a passing glance.

” She rubbed a hand across her forehead, trying to soothe the dull ache of confused emotions building there.

He’d turned to face her as she spoke, but he made no move toward her.

Dropping her hand, she continued. “I can’t keep up with you.

One minute you want me, then you’re acting like someone completely different, then you’re not talking to me at all.

I can’t do this anymore, Jax. I can’t handle the constant ups and downs with you. ”

He let out a heavy breath, shoulders drooping with the exhale. “I’m sorry,” he said, taking a step closer. “I didn’t think, okay. There’s something about you…” He shook his head. “I just acted and I realize it was stupid. But I can’t stand seeing you with him.”

“How do you think I feel?” she asked accusingly, her anger heating in her veins again.

“Do you think I enjoy seeing you here with her ? I didn’t put us in this situation—you did.

I had agreed to this date weeks ago, and only because my friend set it up.

You intentionally brought,” she paused, her hand gesturing wildly toward the door, “whatever her name is, here to make me jealous? Torment me?” She laughed bitterly again, her finger wiping at her bottom lip.

“The guy I know wouldn’t have done that.

This isn’t you, Jax. This is who you want people to believe you are.

” She looked into his eyes. “But you can’t hide from me anymore. I see you. And this…this isn’t you.”

He closed the distance between them, threading his fingers through her loose hair. He tugged her head back, making her look up at him. She bit her cheek as heat curled in her belly.

“I don’t know what to do about you,” he whispered against her lips. “All I know is that I can’t stop thinking about you. The more of you I get, the more I seem to crave you.”

A moan crept its way up her throat, but she swallowed the sound.

She gave her head a slow shake in an attempt to fight her need, her desire, her own cravings of him.

“Jax,” she whispered, whether it was a prayer that he pull her closer, or a warning to let her go, she didn’t know.

She didn’t have a chance to analyze which she preferred.

His name on her lips seemed to send him over the edge.

His mouth fused to hers as his hand tightened in her hair.

His arm bound around her waist, locking her against him as he took.

His lips devoured her in a bruising kiss.

Forcing her lips open, his tongue took possession of her mouth—claiming, owning. And she let him.

The passion of that kiss was an inferno. It consumed every part of her. Her hands fisted his shirt as the moan she had held back earlier rose, echoing through her and into him. He absorbed the sound, his arm tightening around her in response.

God, she wanted to fall into his arms, let him carry her away. She wanted to just give in . For once in her life, she wanted to stop fighting what felt so incredibly right.