She laid her head against the glass and looked at him, so shaken that for a moment she couldn’t speak.
Then she grinned at him. “You take all your girls to the ice for a little sex action?”
He frowned. “I’ve never had sex with any woman in the arena, or on the ice before. Just you.”
He pushed off and started gathering up the gear.
Well. Damn. She felt special.
And now she was right back where she’d started, not knowing what the hell to say.
SEVENTEEN
LIZ LAID HER HEAD IN HER HANDS. “I’M BORED.”
Jenna grinned and refilled Elizabeth’s glass of wine from the bottle sitting at their table. “You’re not bored. You have an awesome job that keeps you running all the time. Your problem is that you miss Gavin.”
“Of course I do, though I’d never admit that to anyone but you.” She picked up the glass and took a sip. “Spring training sucks. Baseball sucks.”
Jenna fought back a laugh. “You agreed to marry him. You know what he does for a living. Hell, he was your client until you two got engaged and you had to give him up because of conflict of interest.”
“Yeah, that part sucked, but what could I do? I can’t negotiate on behalf of someone I’m in love with. I can’t be objective where he’s concerned. But I got him a great agent. Not as great as me, of course.”
“Naturally.”
Liz had called her this morning and asked for a lunch date, and since Jenna had the day off, it was perfect. After her last encounter with Ty, she needed some perspective and girl talk, and Liz was a no-bullshit straight shooter. Jenna didn’t confide in many people, but Liz was one of those people she trusted.
“You could fly down to Florida and visit him.”
“I’m a distraction and he needs to focus on work.”
Jenna dug into the bread on the table and pulled out a piece, waving it at Liz for emphasis. “And I’m sure he misses you as much as you miss him. He’d probably play better if you were there.”
Liz shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“Are your friends Haley and Shawnelle down there?”
“Shawnelle is. Haley couldn’t make it because she has classes this semester.”
“Then Shawnelle could probably use a friend, too. You should go.”
Liz leaned back in the chair and grabbed a piece of bread. “I should.” She looked up and met Jenna’s gaze. “God, I’m a mess, Jen. Who knew I’d fall so ugly in love with a guy? He’s made me a sloppy romantic. All I do is think about him. When he’s on the road we text, we sext—”
Jenna held up a hand. “Way too much information. Gavin’s my brother, remember?”
Liz grinned. “Tough. You’re my friend so you have to listen to the sex parts, too. Just pretend he’s someone else. I can’t get enough of him. I thought I was old enough to get past the infatuation, that it would ease off after we were together for a while, but it hasn’t. If anything, it’s stronger now than it ever was. Not just the hot sex, though that’s still spectacular. But the romance, the way I feel when he looks at me or holds my hand. It’s like a goddamned fairy tale.”
Jenna’s heart did a flip. “It’s love, honey. That’s what it’s supposed to be like.”
“I guess. I just never knew.” Liz reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “I’m going to get all sappy here and tell you that when it hits you, it’s going to be a lightning bolt to your heart and you’re never, ever going to be the same. It’ll change you.”
Jenna laughed. “I don’t think everyone falls in love the same way.”
Liz took up her glass and sipped, then slathered butter on her bread. “Don’t they? Look at Tara and Mick. Their wedding was like watching a freakin’ Disney movie. I’ve never seen two people more in love with each other. Gavin and I are like that. You can’t tell me lightning doesn’t strike twice.” Liz gave her a direct look. “Or three times.”
Jenna shrugged. “I’m not in love.”
“Maybe not yet, but it’s going to happen for you, and when it does, you’re going to feel it right down to your toes. And that’s when you know that no other man in the universe will ever do it for you like that one man does.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
Liz laughed. “Easy? Hell no, it isn’t easy, because he’s the only one who will ever have the capacity to hurt you. And oh, goddamn, when it hurts, it hurts so bad. But he’s also the only one you’re going to love with your whole heart.”
“Good God, woman, you’ve got it bad.”
“I know, right? I told you I was ugly in love.”