She held out her arms, and he came to her, already hard. He slid inside her and put his mouth on her mouth, driving away everything but her touch, her taste, her skin against his. Her moans and the way she lifted against him were all he needed right now.

She wrapped her legs around him, and he drove against her, lifting up on his hands to look down at her as her gaze met his. Her lips parted, her lids partially closed as he shifted and ground against her, making sure to rock his body against her clit. He wanted to take her there, to make her come so she’d shatter around him.

She scored her nails down his arms, the sensation rocketing to his balls. He shifted and drove deeper inside her, reaching for one of her legs so he could push her knee against her chest, needing to be deeper inside her.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.

He dropped down on top of her, slipped one hand underneath her, and pressed his lips to hers. His balls tightened as he felt the rushing train of his cl**ax approaching. Her tongue wound with his, and all he could think of was being alive. The only thing that mattered at this moment was being here with Elizabeth, being one with her, losing himself within her, inside her as she moaned against his lips. Her pu**y convulsed around him, and then she was coming and so was he. He tightened his hold on her and let go, groaning as he came with hard thrusts, burying his face in her neck and knowing there was no one he could let go with like this but Elizabeth.

After, he kissed her neck and her earlobe, and tunneled his fingers in her hair before lifting up to look at her.

“Thank you.”

She smoothed her fingers over his brow. “You’re welcome.”

Instead of jumping out of bed to grab a shower and change of clothes, he pulled her against him, stroked her hair, and kissed the back of her neck.

“Do you need to go? Do you have work to do?” he asked.

“Nothing that can’t wait.” She turned to face him, pulled the covers up over them both, and laid her head on his chest. “Sleep, Gavin.”

He was out as soon as he closed his eyes.

TWENTY

ELIZABETH HAD BEEN GLUED TO GAVIN’S SIDE FOR THE past two weeks. She’d told him there was nothing so pressing with her work that it couldn’t be rescheduled or handled by phone and laptop.

The Rivers understood his dilemma with his father and had pulled someone up from the minor leagues to take his place at first base. There was no way Gavin was going to leave his father’s side right now.

The surgery went fine, thank God. Seeing his father after had just about done him in. Hooked up to oxygen and IVs and beeping machines, his formerly robust, rock of a father had been reduced to something Gavin hadn’t wanted to admit.

His father was human. Vulnerable. He could die. Mortality wasn’t something Gavin ever wanted to think about, especially where his parents were concerned. It wasn’t time yet. It wouldn’t be time for a while. A long while.

He spent every second he could at the hospital, helping his mother out until she told him he was becoming annoying, which was okay because he knew how stressed she was. Between him, Mick, Tara, and Jenna, they made sure she was never alone. One of them always stood by her. His dad slept a lot after the surgery, or at least he tried to. When he wasn’t sleeping, he was either being poked and prodded by the nursing staff or hauled off somewhere for some test.

How the hell were patients supposed to recover in the hospital when the staff never let them sleep?

They’d dragged his dad’s ass out of bed the day after surgery, something that surprised the hell out of Gavin. He and Mick even questioned the nursing staff about it, and Mick went on the hunt for the cardiac surgeon, certain the nurses were out of their goddamned minds. But the staff assured them the sooner they got his dad out of the bed and walking around, the quicker he would recover.

Four days post surgery, his father was walking up and down the halls, no longer connected to tubes or IVs, and eating solid food again, something his dad was damned happy about. He’d been anxious to go home. The doctor had said maybe the next day if he continued to be a pain in the ass and a medical miracle, and performed as well as he had been. His dad said he’d run around the damn nurse’s station if that’s what it took to get him discharged.

That made Gavin smile. His dad cranky and impatient? Yeah, that sounded normal to him.

True to his word, his father had walked the entire floor. They’d discharged him the next day.

Maybe his mother could get some sleep at home.

They’d been home for three days, all of them going in and out all day long. Jenna, Tara, and Elizabeth had made a grocery store run the day they’d brought his dad home so Mom wouldn’t have to worry about having food in the house. Since Dad wouldn’t be able to take the stairs for a while, they’d set up the downstairs guest room as their master bedroom for the time being, something Dad hated but he’d just have to deal with. At least he was home, and he was happy about that.

Not that Mom was going to let him prop his feet up in his favorite chair and veg. She had him up twice a day for walks around the house and in the backyard, the best he could do the first week. She was like a drill sergeant. She had his schedule mapped out and knew what to feed him, knew what his exercise schedule was down to the hour and minute of the day, knew what pills he was supposed to take and when his doctors’ appointments were. And she at least allowed her kids to help.

Jenna had gone back to manning the bar since they’d enlisted aunts, uncles, and cousins to take over while they were standing vigil at the hospital. The bar didn’t run itself, though, and Jenna was itching to get back to work.

Gavin, not so much.

Gavin sat in the living room with his dad, Mick, and Elizabeth. Tara had taken Mom to the grocery store to pick up a few things.

They were watching a baseball game. A Rivers game to be exact. It was a doubleheader against San Francisco.

“The first baseman they brought up from the minors is pretty good.”

Gavin acknowledged his father’s comment, trying not to pay attention to the hotshot twenty-one-year-old scooping up the grounder and dashing to first base for the out.

“He’s decent.”

Elizabeth squeezed his shoulder. She sat on the edge of the chair with him.

“Might be time for you to get back to work before they replace you with someone younger.”

Gavin laughed. “I’m hardly out to pasture at twenty-nine, Dad. I’ve got a lock-solid contract. The kid there is a temp. They’ll shoot him back to the minors as soon as I come back.”

His dad reached for his glass of water. “I’m doing fine here, kid. You need to get back to work.”

“I’ll get back to work soon enough. No hurry, Dad. And don’t worry about my job. It’s secure. I have a great agent, here.” He patted Lizzie’s hand and stared up at her. She gave him a half smile.

“What? You think I should go back to work, too?”

“I think your father is doing well. It’s off season for Mick. He can be here to watch over your father.”

“Yeah, Elizabeth doesn’t want to lose another meal ticket.”

Elizabeth tensed but didn’t say anything.

Gavin’s gaze shot to Mick. “You can stay out of this conversation.”

Mick shrugged. “I’m in the room. Hard to stay out of it.”

“Mick. Butt out,” their dad said, then turned his attention back to Gavin. “But Elizabeth’s right. I’m right. You need to be playing ball.”

“I’ll get back to it, Dad.”

“When?”

“Soon.”

The Rivers were up to bat. The kid—Chris Stallings—hit a line drive past the shortstop and got on base. Gavin tried not to wince.

“He can hit, too. He’s been hitting the ball since he came up.”

“Because pitchers haven’t seen his stuff. Once they do, they’ll strike him out. He’s just lucky right now.”

Mick snorted.

Fortunately, Tara and his mom got back. Elizabeth left to help them with groceries, and Gavin sank deeper in the chair as Stallings made a couple of diving catches and then hit a home run in the eighth inning to take the Rivers up two runs over San Francisco.

Shit.

Not that Gavin wanted the kid to suck. His team needed to win. But did Stallings have to be so damn good? Gavin wanted his team to win on some of the other players’ shoulders.

“Come on. Time for your walk,” his mother said to his dad after the game.

“It’s a doubleheader.”

“You’ll be back before the second game.” She looked at Gavin and Mick. “Girls are starting dinner. You two can fire up the grill.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He and Mick took the chicken outside. Gavin grabbed a beer, Mick a soda.

“So do you agree with Dad? Should I head back?”

Mick flipped the chicken, then closed the grill lid. “I think you should do whatever the hell you want to do.”

“If it were football season, what would you do?”

Mick lifted his gaze to Gavin’s. “It’s not football season.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s your career, man. We’ve got it covered here, but I understand where you’re coming from. I probably wouldn’t want to leave right now, either. That was some scary shit that went down with Dad.”

Gavin nodded. “I’m afraid if I leave, something will happen and I won’t be here.”

“Can’t stay forever, though. In sports your name and your presence is everything.”

“I’ll know when the time is right.”

“Yeah, you will.”

AFTER DINNER, ELIZABETH HELPED WITH THE DISHES, then went looking for Gavin. She found him out back cleaning the grill.

“Chicken was good.”

He smiled at her. “Yeah, it was.”

“Your mother is awesome the way she’s taken control over everything. How she handles it all . . .”

“She holds up well. She’s got him home, and he’s going to be fine.”

She sat on one of the patio chairs. “Yes, he’s going to be fine. Which means you need to get back to work.”

He paused, stared at the grill. “Not yet.”

“Gavin, you need to work.”

“I’m not ready yet, Lizzie. A few more days, just to make sure he’s okay.”

“You’re not really doing anything here, Gavin, other than driving yourself crazy. Your dad is on the mend. Mick is here to help out your mom. Jenna has the bar under control. Tara is local, too. Your dad has plenty of help.”

His gaze shot to hers. “I said I’m not ready yet.”

“What are you so afraid of?”

“The question is, Elizabeth, what are you so afraid of? That Gavin will be replaced, and you’ll lose more money?”

She turned her gaze on Mick, who pushed the screen door open and stepped out back.

She knew this conversation should have waited until they were back at Gavin’s house. But he’d been so tense lately, and watching that game today had nearly done him in.

He needed to get back to work. Not for her. God, not for her.

For himself.

“Mick, please. Let me have a minute with Gavin.”

“Why? So you can needle him about how important it is that he play for the Rivers? God, Elizabeth, don’t you ever let up? Is the job always number one to you?”

She stood, wiped her hands down the sides of her Capris. “It’s not like that. I was just—”

“I know what you were just. You were just going to convince Gavin that time is money. Play is money. Image is everything, and if he doesn’t get out on the field, he’s losing image points. Possible contract renegotiation position. I know how you think.”

She shook her head. “No, you don’t. If you’d just let me—”

“Can’t you just for one second think about someone else besides yourself and your career and what’s important to you? What about Gavin, my mother, my father? What about what’s important to them? Did you once stop to think that maybe my mom needs Gavin here for emotional support?”

“I did. I thought—”

“No, you didn’t think at all about that. All you thought about was getting Gavin back on the ball field, so millions of people could see him play. God forbid he’s not out there front and center, on television, in the media. I know the game, Liz. I know your game. And this time I’m not going to let you use Gavin to play it.”

Her gaze shot to Gavin, who hadn’t said a word.

Didn’t he know? Didn’t he understand what she was trying to do?

He didn’t. He believed every word Mick said. He thought it was about the money, the PR, the face time. Not about what was best for Gavin the person, what was best for him inside.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she’d be damned if she’d cry in front of them.

“I’m sorry.”

She brushed past Mick and opened the screen door, past Tara and Gavin’s mom.

“Elizabeth. What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry. I have to go.”

Tears blinded her as she grabbed her purse and fled to the front door. She pulled it open and ran to her car, peeled out of the driveway and hit the street. She hoped like hell Gavin wouldn’t come after her.

He wouldn’t. She already knew he wouldn’t.

Gavin had believed Mick. Mick’s words had sunk in, had made sense to him. Otherwise, he’d have spoken up, would have said something, would have stopped Mick from saying those awful things.

But he hadn’t.

Deep down Gavin believed Elizabeth was just as bad as Mick thought she was.