THREE
NOW WHAT?
Gavin sat outside and watched the seagulls swooping down at the water’s edge searching for breakfast while he nursed a cup of coffee and pondered the naked redhead asleep in his bed.
Not just any naked redhead, either, but his agent, Elizabeth.
What a surprise she’d been last night. In more ways than one.
He would have never expected Elizabeth to be his match in the bedroom. She’d turned him on in ways he’d never imagined.
Sure, he’d had a bit to drink last night, and fucking her hadn’t been on his mind. It had just happened. But whoa, it had been good.
And he wanted more.
But it was an all-around bad idea. First, because she was his agent, and they needed to keep their relationship strictly business.
Second, she had screwed over his brother, and that still didn’t sit right with him.
Third, she wasn’t his type at all. He liked his women soft and easygoing. And easygoing and Elizabeth didn’t belong in the same sentence.
He still wanted more of her.
He could have some fun with her. Okay, a lot of fun with her. It wasn’t like they were going to be dating. He didn’t date women. He fucked them. They partied, had fun together, and that was it. He had a career in baseball, a high-profile lifestyle, and women got into that. They wanted to be seen with him, and they understood how it was. Though there were always those who thought they could be the next Mrs. Gavin Riley.
He wasn’t looking for a Mrs; not right now. He was too busy having fun.
“Morning.”
He turned to see Elizabeth leaning against the doorway. She’d helped herself to one of his T-shirts, and God help him, she looked so damn different. She was usually dressed to perfection in designer clothes and high heels, and wore her hair up. This . . . this was spectacular. The T-shirt was long on her, hit above her knees. It was gray and worn, and hugged her curves. Her hair spilled down around her shoulders, was all messed up and stuck up in places, and she had a sleepy look on her face, pillow marks on her left cheek, and her lips were swollen.
Goddamn, she made his dick hard.
“Morning.”
“I grabbed one of your shirts. And helped myself to a cup of coffee. I hope you don’t mind,” she said, lifting the cup to show him.
“I don’t mind. Come on out here and sit down.”
She sat in the swing this time and sipped her coffee, pulling her legs up on the seat. She inhaled and closed her eyes. “I can see why you like it here at the beach, Gavin. What a beautiful way to wake up in the morning. So relaxing to just sit and watch the ocean waves and the birds. You don’t get this kind of view in Saint Louis. Not that I’m at the office or at my condo all that often any way.”
Who was this person? He’d found out more about Elizabeth in the last twelve hours than in the seven years he’d known her. “You travel a lot. Me, too. It sucks. I come down here during the off-season a lot to go fishing and just to get away from the winter.”
She brushed her hair away from her face. “Understandable. It’s nice to have a place like this.”
“I’m sure you could buy a place down here. You can afford it.”
“Mmm,” was all she said, then put the cup to her lips. “I should get dressed and head out. Mind if I use your shower first?”
“You have somewhere you need to be?”
She shifted her gaze to his. “Not really.”
“Then why the hurry?”
“My stuff is at the hotel. I need to check out today.”
“Where are you going?”
“Back home.”
His lips lifted. “It’s February. Cold in Saint Louis.”
“Yes, it is.”
“You could hang out here for a while, soak up some sun.”
She rested the cup in her lap. “Are you inviting me to stay?”
Was he? He had no idea what the hell he was doing. All he knew was that he had fun with Elizabeth last night, and his dick wanted more of her. That was all he wanted.
“You’re not gonna deny we had great sex last night.”
She stared at him. “It was really great sex, Gavin.”
“Then hang out with me down here. We’ll have more of it.”
“So you’re not firing me.”
His lips curled. “Not yet.”
“Asshole.” She pushed off the swing and sauntered into the house. He went inside to refill his coffee. Elizabeth was in the kitchen refilling hers.
“So are you staying?”
“Right now I’m going to take a shower. I need to go get my bags and check out.”
“I’ll call the hotel. They can check you out, and I’ll have your things delivered here.”
She leaned against the counter, cup in hand. “Thinking of holding me prisoner here for the next month?”
He leaned his hip against the counter. “I don’t know. Think you’ve got what it takes to keep me interested that long?”
Her eyes sparkled. “That sounds like a challenge, Gavin.”
He sipped his coffee. “Can you cook?”
“Not at all. Can you?”
“You don’t grow up in my house without learning to fend for yourself. My mother didn’t want her children to be tossed out into the world as useless human beings.”
“So now you’re calling me useless?”
“You’re what, Elizabeth—thirty-four or something? One would think you would have learned to cook by now.”
“I’m thirty-two, and you’re a prick.”
He laughed. “Not the first time I’ve been called that.”
“I’m not home enough to cook, and who am I going to cook for? Myself?”
“Aww, poor Elizabeth. Single and alone. Am I supposed to feel sorry for you now?”
“You’re baiting me, trying to get a rise out of me.”
“Shouldn’t you be trying to get a rise out of me?”
She let her gaze drift down his body and linger at his crotch, then looked back up to his face. “Why? What’s in it for me?”
“Get my dick hard, and you get an orgasm out of it. After a two-year drought I figure you’re gonna wanna come as much as you can while you’re here.”
She snorted. “You think you’re that good, huh?”
He laid his coffee cup down and stalked over to her, pulled the cup from her hand and put it on the counter. He wrapped one arm around her waist, lifted her T-shirt, and laid his palm over her naked sex.
She was already wet, her eyes wide pools of green as he slid his finger inside her and rocked his hand against her, then took her mouth in a hard kiss.
She melted against him, her tongue sliding against his, her pussy coating his fingers with her sweet cream. He spread her juices over her clit and massaged the nub.
She whimpered against him, and he was relentless, driving his palm against her sex, dipping his fingers inside her to fuck her pussy. She lifted onto her toes and sought release.
And he gave it to her, keeping his mouth on hers, his arm wrapped around her to hold her steady while she cried out and clung to his shirt.
Her body quivered against his, and he let her down slow and easy, withdrew his fingers, liking the way she stared up at him with a little bit of shock and disbelief.
He flipped her around and bent her over the kitchen counter, flipping the T-shirt over her back, unable to resist roaming over the bare skin of her back and ass. Her skin was the softest silk, and in between her legs was sweet honey. He swept his hand between her legs again, and she lifted, spreading her legs, palming the counter, and letting out a gentle moan.
She was wet from her orgasm, and his cock throbbed with the need to be inside her. He put on the condom he’d had in his pocket, dropped his shorts and kicked them away, nestled between her legs and shoved up inside her, wrapping his arm around her as a barrier to keep her belly from hitting the granite counter, because he needed to pound hard inside her. His balls tightened as her sweet pussy gripped him in a tight vise of unbearable pleasure, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold on for long. Nothing this good could last. She was tight and hot, and he was going to come.
He slid his hands under the shirt and grasped her breasts, filling his palms with her nipples and squeezing her flesh.
“Gavin,” she cried, lifting off the counter, her hair spilling over his arms.
“Come on my cock, Elizabeth. Make yourself come.”
Her hand slid between her legs, and she rubbed her pussy, her fingers brushing against his balls, teasing him as she teased herself.
He rolled her nipples between his fingers, plucking them into tight points. She whimpered.
“I’m coming, Gavin. I’m coming.”
He held tight to her and pushed deep into her as he came, jettisoning deep bursts of come as his orgasm shot through him, leaving him panting and drawing in deep breaths.
When he withdrew, he turned her around and kissed her, making sure she understood without a doubt what he was capable of. He left her mouth wet, licking her lips and a look of uncertainty in her eyes as he swept his thumb over her bottom lip.
“Honey, I
am
that good. I know what you want, and I can give it to you. Anytime you want it. Anytime I want it. That’s why you want to be here with me.”
He picked up his cup, refilled his coffee.
“Shower’s all yours. I’ll go call the hotel and have your things brought over.”
He walked away feeling pretty damn good about how things were going between them.
ELIZABETH WASN’T SURE SHE’D MADE THE RIGHT choice at all.
She swept away the fog in the bathroom mirror and stared at a woman she didn’t know.
What the hell had possessed her last night? And this morning.
She’d had sex with Gavin Riley. She’d broken every damn one of her carefully constructed rules about not getting personally involved with one of her clients. And especially not Gavin.
And now her clothes and laptop were being brought here, and she was going to stay with him?
Good God. This whole nightmare had epic clusterfuck written all over it, and the thirty minutes she’d spent in Gavin’s opulent shower had provided no clarity.
The woman with the wet hair staring back at her in the mirror was a grade-A idiot. She should grab her luggage and run like hell. This was going to end in disaster.
“Elizabeth?” Gavin knocked twice.
“Yes?”
“Your things are here, but I figured you probably hadn’t intended to stay more than last night, right?”
“True.”
“You don’t have anything to wear, do you?”
“Not really.”
“Okay. Get dressed, and I’ll take you shopping so you can get some clothes.”
She stared at the door. Shopping? He was going to take her shopping?
What. The. Fuck.
She felt like Alice in Wonderland, and she’d definitely just fallen down the rabbit hole.
Curiouser and curiouser, for damn certain.
She came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her.
“I put your suitcase in my room.”
She arched a brow. So did Gavin.
“You didn’t think I invited you here to stay in one of the guest rooms, did you?”
“No, I suppose not.” She padded into Gavin’s bedroom, where he’d laid her luggage on the bed. She popped it open and grabbed her makeup bag and some clothes.
After she dried her hair and put it up in a twist, she applied makeup and put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, thankful she always packed at least one casual outfit just in case she got stranded somewhere. She slipped on her heels and went in search of Gavin, who was outside on the terrace. His beautiful shoulders and arms were showcased by the sleeveless cotton shirt he wore. He had on shorts and tennis shoes and a Saint Louis Rivers baseball cap.
Very casual.
“I’m ready.”
He turned and looked down at her feet, then frowned. “Heels? We’re in Florida. You need sandals.”
She gave him a disdainful
pfft
. “Honey, I live in heels.”
“Not on the beach, you don’t.”
“Try me.”
He shrugged. “Whatever you want.”
He drove her to one of the nice Palm Beach malls. Everything was outside, the sun was shining, and tall palm trees lined the walkway.
Now they were in her element—shopping. She breezed in and out of a few stores, picking up a few pairs of Capri pants and some shoes, underwear and sundresses.
Gavin laid back and held bags for her while she went on a tear. She knew herself, knew what she liked and what looked good on her. She didn’t really own that much resort wear since she never took much downtime. These would all be new things for her.
He paid particular attention in the upscale lingerie shop, of course, his eyes gleaming when she fingered the sexy and sinful bras and panties. Armed with several items, she stood in front of him at the counter.
“I’m not paying a fortune for new lingerie if you’re just going to ruin it by ripping it off me.”
The saleswoman behind the cash register gaped at them. Elizabeth didn’t care.
Gavin took the bundle from her hand, laid them on the counter, and whipped out his credit card. “No guarantees of that. You look smokin’ hot in this stuff. If we ruin them all, we’ll just come back for more.”
She shrugged. “It’s your dime.”
That saleswoman would have plenty to gossip about after they left.
The temperature in the store rose a few degrees, and Elizabeth took a step back, irritated by the hardening of her traitorous nipples. The young saleswoman shot Gavin a look of pure lust, but he kept his gaze on Elizabeth.
Fine. Score a point for Gavin.
“You need something sexy to wear when we go out at night.”
“We’re going out at night? Where to?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll take you dancing.”
She ignored the tiny little thrill at the thought of being in Gavin’s arms while he toured her around a dance floor. “I thought you just wanted to fuck me.”
He stopped and slid his finger across her cheek. “I do. I will. But we have to come up for air and leave the beach house. You want to have some fun outside the bedroom, don’t you?”
Something fluttered in her belly, something that felt an awful lot like stirrings of emotion. “Gavin, why are you doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“This. Keeping me here with you. Shopping with me. Talking of going out places. I don’t get it.”