“Elizabeth, how long have you and Gavin been dating?” Shawnelle asked.

Oh, we’re not dating. We’re just f**king each other brainless until one of us gets tired of the other.

Probably not a good icebreaker.

She forced her sweetest smile. “Oh, we’re not dating. I’m Gavin’s agent and happen to be in town for some business, so he invited me along to dinner.”

Gavin pulled himself out of his guy conversation. “She lies. She’s hanging out with me at my place during the preseason.”

“Interesting,” Shawnelle said, her amber eyes studying the two of them.

If looks could kill, the one Elizabeth shot at Gavin would have left him instantly dead where he sat.

Gavin lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

“Okay, I’m confused. So are you two dating or aren’t you?” Haley asked.

“Dating? Oh, hell no. We’re just having sex, honey,” Elizabeth said, profoundly grateful when her martini arrived.

“Oh,” Haley said in a tiny little voice.

Shawnelle just laughed, took a long swallow of her cocktail, and said, “Get it while it’s good, girl.”

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair, deciding to tune out Gavin and have some fun. “It’s definitely good.”

Shawnelle’s gaze raked over Gavin as she stirred her drink. “Mmmmhmmmm, I imagine it is with him.” She turned her gaze back to Elizabeth. “What is it with these guys and their sex drive. I swear to God Dedrick damn near wears me out every night.”

Haley looked dumbfounded, like she couldn’t believe they were talking sex in the middle of a restaurant.

The girl needed some educating. Much too naïve. This could be entertaining.

“No idea. One would think they’d be worn out after all the workouts and the games. But no. They could go all night long. All afternoon long.”

“And the mornings, too,” Shawnelle added.

“Yes. They wake up hard and they stay that way.”

Shawnelle laughed and patted Elizabeth’s hand. “And we like them that way.”

Elizabeth chanced a glance at Haley.

Yup. Deer in the headlights look. Probably appalled. The poor kid.

Gavin leaned over and brushed his shoulder against hers. “What are you three talking about?”

“Sex. We’re horrifying Haley.”

Gavin shook his head. “Tommy, you’d better rescue your bride. I think Elizabeth and Shawnelle are corrupting her.”

Tommy laughed and rubbed Haley’s shoulders. “They corruptin’ you, darlin’?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m learnin’ a few things though.” She waved her hand at Tommy. “Y’all go back to talking to each other and leave us ladies alone. There are some things I need to learn.”

Elizabeth sipped her martini. So, maybe Haley wasn’t as revolted as she thought. Or as naïve.

It turned out that talking with women wasn’t as bad as Elizabeth thought it would be. Throughout dinner Elizabeth learned that Shawnelle was an absolute riot with a bawdy sense of humor. She and Dedrick had been married seven years. Shawnelle was a lawyer, worked for the district attorney in Saint Louis. And Haley, though barely twenty-one, wasn’t naïve at all. She had a natural curiosity, was open and honest, and wanted to learn . . . everything. Including everything about sex. She and Tommy had only been married six months, but young Miss Haley loved sex. She’d lived a sheltered life in Mississippi, and she loved Tommy with every breath she took. Marrying Tommy had been her ticket out of her repressive small town, and she never wanted to go back there.

But Tommy, Elizabeth found out, was a little unpracticed in the sex department, so Haley wanted to soak up some knowledge about the art of seduction and getting her man to open up a little bit.

Shawnelle and Elizabeth looked at each other, nodded, and decided they could definitely help Haley out.

The dance club was away from the beach and private. Gavin had snagged them an invitation since the owner was a fan of the Rivers. The ambiance was dark, moody, and low-key, unlike the loud beachtype laser bars that blasted your ear drums out. Elizabeth was profoundly grateful.

She loved dancing and hot, up-tempo music, but she also wanted to be able to have a conversation without screaming herself hoarse. She was way too old for that nonsense.

They were shown to a VIP table against the wall. Private, with an attentive waitress. Just the way Elizabeth liked it. They ordered drinks and settled in against the cushioned booth.

“You enjoy dinner?” Gavin asked.

“I did.”

“Sorry I was occupied with Dedrick and Tommy. I really didn’t bring you out to dump you on Shawnelle and Haley.”

“I’m a big girl, Gavin. This may come as a shock to you, but I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can. You were probably born not needing anyone.”

Their drinks arrived before she could shoot a retort to his smart-ass comment. As soon as the music started, Shawnelle was ready to dance. Dedrick wasn’t, so Shawnelle stood, smoothed down her dress, and looked at Elizabeth and Haley.

“Come on, girls. Let’s go rock the dance floor.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Elizabeth shook her head.

Haley grinned. “Sure. I’m game.”

Shawnelle put her hands on her h*ps and stared down at Elizabeth. “You. Up. Dance floor. Now. No excuses.”

Elizabeth was about to object, but the steely look in Shawnelle’s eyes and the fact that the music was pretty damn good made her shrug. “Okay, fine. We’ll dance.”

“Yay!” Shawnelle took her hand and dragged Elizabeth out of the chair and toward the dance floor.

It didn’t take long for the music to get her moving. Plus, Shawnelle and Haley were—she had to admit—a whole lot of infectious fun. It was obvious Shawnelle was comfortable with her body and didn’t mind shaking it. Haley was simply in love with her life and enjoyed the freedom she had now, so the two of them danced around Elizabeth while she moved her h*ps from side to side.

When she twirled around, she found three sets of male eyes staring at them with rapt interest.

Which gave her an idea.

She flipped around and moved toward Shawnelle. “I think we can help Haley with her sex life while we’re out here on the dance floor.”

“Oh, yeah? How’s that?”

Elizabeth motioned toward the VIP table, and it didn’t take but a few seconds for Shawnelle to make the connection.

“I see your point. Haley, honey, sandwich yourself in between Elizabeth and me, and let’s do a little dirty dancing.”

Haley’s eyes went wide. “Huh?”

Elizabeth moved in closer to Haley. “You want your man to want you, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then you gotta turn him on,” Shawnelle said.

“Men love to see women together,” Elizabeth explained.

Haley looked up at her. “They do? Why?”

Elizabeth shrugged and bumped her hip against Haley’s. “No clue. Something about the fantasy of girl-on-girl action gets their motors running.”

“Which means that you and me and Elizabeth are going to give your husband something to fantasize about. And when you get him in bed with you tonight, you’re going to ask him just how hot he thought it was.”

Shawnelle slipped her arm around Haley’s waist, and Elizabeth did the same.

“What do I do?” Haley asked.

“Look at us like you want to eat us for breakfast,” Elizabeth said.

“And move your body like you do when you’re in bed,” Shawnelle added. “Tommy’s imagination will do the rest.”

“Oh, okay. I can do that.”

Haley was a quick study. Though petite, she could move her hips. She tilted her head back, turned on her charm, and gazed at Elizabeth and Shawnelle like they were goddesses and she wanted whatever they were offering.

The three of them undulated against each other to the slow, sexy beat of the song; snaked their hands up and down rib cages, waists, and hips; rocked crotches against asses; and put on quite a show for the guys. By the time the song finished and Elizabeth headed back to the table, it was patently obvious that Tommy wasn’t the only man at the VIP table turned on. Gavin’s dark gaze latched on to hers. He stood and held out his hand for her. She caught the telltale ridge of his erection. She took a couple sips of her drink and started to sit.

“Not yet. Let’s dance.”

“Okay.”

He led her out onto the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. As she suspected, he was a very capable dancer.

“We’ve never danced together before,” she said as he moved her into the center of the floor.

“We haven’t?”

“No.” She’d been to parties with him before, events where there had been dancing. He’d either had a companion already, or she avoided getting that close to him.

“I guess I just never noticed that before.”

She shrugged. “No reason for you and I to dance together, was there?”

He scrutinized her with a look. “Guess not.”

Shawnelle and Haley were both dancing with their husbands. It gave Elizabeth a great deal of pride to see Tommy’s hands on Haley’s ass. Haley looked like she’d just reached nirvana. Her eyes were closed, and she laid her head against Tommy’s chest. Elizabeth wouldn’t be at all surprised if Haley ended up having dyn**ite sex tonight.

“Enjoy that show you put on?” Gavin asked.

She turned her attention back to Gavin. “Immensely. Did you?”

He snaked his hand down her lower back to the top of her butt and pressed in, making sure she could feel his erection. “A lot. I take it you’ve bonded with Shawnelle and Haley.”

She grinned. “You could say that.”

“I had no idea you were into women.”

She tilted her head back and laughed. “I’m not. That was for Haley.”

He frowned. “I don’t get it.”

She pressed against him to whisper in his ear. “She’s trying to sex up her husband a little more. Things in the bedroom haven’t been exactly great for the two of them. We were helping out.”

Gavin leaned back. “Oh. Well, after your performance on the dance floor, that should do it.”

She slid her fingers over his goatee. “Worked for you, didn’t it?”

“You saying I need sexing up?”

She pressed her thigh between his legs, rubbed against his erection. “Honey, any more sexing up and you’ll kill me.”

He brushed his lips against hers. “Glad I’m able to satisfy you.”

Butterflies danced in her belly. Gavin was dangerous to her in so many ways. She should have turned around and run like hell back to Saint Louis when he asked her to stay with him.

But it was just sex. At least to him. He had no idea how she felt about him. As long as she remembered that, she could survive this.

SIX

GAVIN DRANK A WHISKEY OUT ON THE DECK, LISTENING to the sound of the waves. This was always his favorite part of the night. Sometimes he’d sit here for hours, just listening to the sound of the ocean.

But tonight he was plotting. Elizabeth might have distracted him earlier with amazing sex, but he still wanted answers from her.

Why he cared about who she was before, he had no idea. It really didn’t play into what they had right now, but for some reason he wanted to know. And for some reason she didn’t want him to know. And he thrived on competition, on winning.

She was in the bathroom changing, washing her makeup off, taking her hair down.

Time to make his move.

He laid the glass down on the kitchen counter and headed into the bedroom.

She stood in the bathroom brushing her hair, wearing only a cream strapless bra and matching panties. He went into his drawer and pulled out four neckties, grateful for the occasional media interviews he had to give that required him to dress up. He threw the ties on the seat at the foot of the bed, then went into the bathroom to press a kiss on the soft skin between her neck and shoulder. She smiled at him in the mirror, the softness of her green eyes mesmerizing him. He saw something in them. A vulnerability or something else he couldn’t figure out, and he was struck by a punch to the gut so strong it almost knocked him to his knees.

What would it be like to see a woman like Elizabeth in his bathroom every night, to have someone to come home to instead of an empty house?

He’d never wanted a woman in his life before, never craved companionship. He liked his life just the way it was, liked being able to travel, to come and go as he pleased without having to answer to anyone. He had no ties and no obligations.

His life was perfect and he had no plans to change it.

But he liked having Elizabeth here, liked seeing her female doodads on his bathroom counter, loved seeing her dressed only in her bra and panties, loved ogling her creamy skin, loved feeling her next to him in bed at night.

Hell, he liked waking up next to her.

Whoa. Gavin wasn’t the domestic type. And Elizabeth sure as hell wasn’t, either. And if he was looking to settle down, get married, and start having some kids, she was the last woman on earth he’d choose to do it with.

Not the soulless cold shark.

But was she soulless and cold? Or was that just a part she played in business?

What did he really know about Elizabeth Darnell?

Time to find out.

She turned to him, wrapping her hand around the back of his neck. “Ready for bed?”

“You could say that.” He took her hands and led her to the side of the bed, reached around and unhooked her bra, then bent and pulled her panties down.