Much.
Except she’d avoided him, which was also uncharacteristic of her. So had it been the kiss that had sent her into hiding, or the fear he’d fire her?
It was time for her to come out and face the music.
She couldn’t avoid him forever, and especially not at this sports banquet where she had several clients, Gavin included, though she was doing her best to steer clear of him.
He’d laid low most of the night, letting her flit around and focus on a few of his baseball peers. He always enjoyed watching her work a room full of hotshot jocks. Elizabeth commanded attention. It didn’t matter whether a room was filled with the hottest females around—a guy would have to be either limp dicked or dead not to notice her. Hair the color of his favorite red sports car; incredible blue eyes; creamy, soft skin; and legs a man could only hope to some day have wrapped around him. And she showed it all off with practiced precision. She was a walking sex bomb with a wicked brain. Lethal combination.
Gavin would be lying if he didn’t admit to being tempted by Liz. But he never mixed business with pleasure, and he took his opportunities elsewhere. Liz had been a great agent, had locked him up tight with the St. Louis Rivers Major League Baseball team right out of college, and she’d worked her ass off to make him rich, get him product endorsements, and keep him in his position at first base. He never wanted to do anything to change that.
Besides, he doubted Elizabeth was his type.
Gavin was pretty damned particular about the women he chose. And ballbusting women like Elizabeth? Definitely not his type.
But they needed to get a few things straight, and she could only avoid him for so long.
The banquet was winding down and most everyone was leaving. Liz was with Radell James and his wife, walking with them toward the main ballroom doors. Gavin shot out a side door and hung back, unobserved, while she said her good-byes.
She looked good tonight in one of her usual business suits. Black, which seemed to be one of her favorite colors, and tailored to within an inch of its life. The skirt hung just above her knee, and those shoes she wore played up her toned calves, too. She walked through the front doors of the hotel and outside with Radell and his wife.
Gavin stepped outside unnoticed while Liz talked with Radell. He stood in the background and watched until Radell and Teesha’s taxi arrived.
After they left, Liz leaned against the brick wall and closed her eyes. She looked tired. Or defeated. Her guard was down.
Time for Gavin to make his move. He stepped in front of her.
“You’ve been avoiding me, Elizabeth.”
Her eyelids shot up and her eyes widened with shock. She started to push off the wall but he pinned her there by placing his hand on the wall by her shoulder. There was a planter on the other side, so she had nowhere to go.
“Gavin. What are you doing here?”
“It’s the sports banquet. You knew I was here. In fact, I’d say you danced around tables doing your best to not see me tonight.”
She blinked. Her sweetly painted mouth worked, but nothing came out for a few seconds. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her at a loss for words. Her eyes darted from side to side like a cornered animal looking for escape.
But she finally relaxed, her gaze warmed and the old Elizabeth was back. She tipped her finger down the lapel of his jacket.
“I wasn’t avoiding you, sugar. I picked up a new client so I had to babysit him a bit and introduce him to all the right media people. Then there was Radell and we had a few things to discuss that were important. I’m so sorry we haven’t had a chance to catch up. Did you need me for something?”
“Yeah. We need to talk.”
In an instant, the warmth fled. Her expression narrowed. “About what?”
“You and me.”
Something flashed in her eyes, something hot he’d never seen before.
Or maybe never noticed before. As soon as it was there, it was gone.
Maybe he’d just imagined it. But Gavin didn’t imagine things, and what he’d seen caused a tightening in his balls. It was like the kiss that night, throwing him for a loop and making him second guess everything he thought about her. He’d always maintained his distance from Liz because they had a professional relationship. Besides, she didn’t pay much attention to him. She never fawned over him in the same way she did with Mick and a lot of her other clients. She’d always maintained her distance. He figured she never had any interest in him, which suited him just fine since he had no problem finding women, and women had no problem finding him.
But what he’d just seen in her eyes had been ... interesting.
“You and me? What about you and me?” she asked.
“You finished with all your client stuff?”
She nodded.