And yet his dad and Elizabeth had pegged the loss he’d been feeling.

He missed the game.

He had to go back.

He turned to his dad. “I have to go back.”

His dad smiled up at him. “I know you do. I want you to. It’s what you do. It’s what you love. I’d be disappointed in you if you stayed here because of me.”

He went to his father and kneeled down in front of him. “I was afraid something would happen to you again if I left.”

His dad leaned forward and touched his shoulder. “I’m gonna be fine, kid. I’m not made of iron, but I’m not made of Jell-O, either. I had my wake-up call. I’ll take care of myself, and I promise not to fall. But you can’t watch me every second of every day. You have to let go.”

Gavin shuddered in a breath and stood. So did his dad. They fell into a hug, Gavin careful not to squeeze his dad because of the incision.

“I’m not gonna break, kid.”

Gavin fought back the sting of tears, then pulled back and nodded. “Okay, time for me to go back to work.”

“Gavin.”

He turned to Mick.

His brother looked miserable. “I’m sorry. I f**ked this up, made it worse.”

“You did. But that’s on you, and between you and Elizabeth. And I have to take the blame for not stopping it when I should have. I let it go on too long.”

Mick quirked a grin. “You can’t stop me when I’m being a bullheaded ass.”

Gavin smiled. “True.”

“I’ll fix it. At least my part of it. So you love her?”

Gavin had thought he’d hesitate when it came time to say it out loud, but the words fell from his lips. “I do love her. So you’re going to have to live with that.”

Mick grasped Gavin’s shoulders. “I can live with it if she can put up with me. Now go get your girl. And get your ass back to work.”

Gavin left his dad’s and went back to his house. He’d called the Rivers and told them he was ready to play. They’d be back in town from their road trip by the weekend, so Coach told him to be ready to suit up then. In the meantime, he was going to Elizabeth to fix things between them.

He called her. She didn’t answer. He called again, left a voice mail, and waited. She didn’t call him back. He called her again. And again. She wouldn’t pick up.

Dammit.

He drove to her house, knocked, but got no answer. Maybe she’d gone to her office, so he tried there, but the receptionist said she wasn’t in, which meant she either really wasn’t in or she was refusing to see him.

He checked the parking lot and didn’t see her car.

Well, hell, she wasn’t going to make it easy for him, was she? Then again, after what he’d said to her, he didn’t deserve easy. And he damn well wasn’t going to apologize via cell phone or text message. This had to be done in person.

He drove back to her condo that night and didn’t see her car parked in the parking lot, and there were no lights on inside. He waited like a damn stalker in her parking lot for three hours, calling her cell several times, but she still didn’t answer.

And she never came home. He waited until one in the morning before giving up and going home.

It was going to be hard to apologize to her if he couldn’t find her. Her office was no help, refusing to tell him where she was, and the next day she wasn’t at work, either.

He had one more day before he had to report back to the team, and he couldn’t find Elizabeth.

But he knew someone who could help.

GRATEFUL FOR THE TRIP OUT OF TOWN, ELIZABETH stared out the window of her New York hotel room. Contracts and negotiations for a potential new client had kept her busy for the past two days, and she was so damn glad for that, too, because the last thing she needed was surplus time to think.

Time to think meant time to dwell on Gavin, and she’d already wasted too much time on that man.

She crawled onto the bed and picked up her laptop, putting the finishing touches on the contract language for her new client, an up-and-coming NBA player for New York. Not quite as high profile as Gavin, but a couple of more players added to her roster would make up for what she lost by dumping Gavin. She’d put some feelers out and gotten the line on a few guys unhappy with their current representation, and she was well on the way to evening out the loss with some stellar gains. First the basketball player, next up was a running back for Baltimore she intended to meet with the first part of next week. And that guy was a moneymaker. If she could sign him, she’d not only have a coup, but a laugh at Don Davis, his current agent.

It was all in keeping the balance. And she would maintain the balance.

Her cell buzzed, and she grabbed it off the table, hoping it wasn’t Gavin again.

It wasn’t Gavin. It was his mother.

Shit. Her stomach dropped, and she clicked the phone, hoping like hell Gavin’s father hadn’t had a relapse.

“Hello?”

“Elizabeth? It’s Kathleen Riley.”

“Hello, Kathleen. Is Jimmy okay?”

“He’s fine, dear, don’t worry.”

She blew out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. I’m so glad to hear that.”

“I’m calling about Gavin.”

“Oh.”

“You really fired him?”

This was going to be difficult. “It was getting to be too hard, Kathleen.”

“You don’t have to pull punches with me. I understand. Was he awful to you?”

There was only so much she was going to tell his mother. “There was a conflict of interest I couldn’t deny any longer. I was in love with him. I couldn’t represent his best interests with that kind of conflict. I had to make the break.”

“He said you won’t answer his calls.”

And he had his mother call to run interference? Really? “I’m working right now so I’ve been busy.”

“He said you haven’t been at home or at your office.”

Looking for her, was he? Good. “No, I’m in New York on business. Whatever he and I have to say to each other will have to wait.”

“I told him I wasn’t going to pressure you or pretend that this call was anything other than a fact-finding mission on his behalf.”

She smiled at that. “Thank you, Kathleen.”

“I hope you two are able to work things out.”

That wasn’t going to happen. “I’m glad you called. Please say hello to Jimmy for me.”

“I will, honey. You take care.”

Elizabeth laid the phone down on the nightstand and stared at her laptop, but the contract language had lost its appeal. She closed her laptop and sank under the covers, grabbed the remote and turned on the television, randomly flipping channels, hoping she could find something mindless to tune into until she fell asleep.

Her phone rang. She grabbed it from the nightstand, her heart squeezing when she saw it was Gavin. She laid it back down and focused on an animal show on the television.

When her phone buzzed again, she let the tears fall, no longer able to hold them inside.

TWENTY-THREE

GOING TO RILEY’S WAS PROBABLY A MISTAKE, BUT ELIZABETH wanted to talk to Jenna. It wasn’t like she had a lot of friends. She missed Shawnelle and Haley, but she wouldn’t be hanging out with them anytime soon now that she and Gavin were no longer a couple, and she wasn’t Gavin’s agent. Since she didn’t represent any other Rivers players, at least not at the moment, there would be no reason for her to attend any of their games.

Wasn’t it just so funny that someone who never had any female friends suddenly craved them?

She pulled up a seat at the bar and waited for Jenna, who spotted her, waved, and dealt with a few of her customers before moseying down Elizabeth’s end.

“What’s up, girl?”

“Just got back into town after a few days of traveling. How about you?”

Jenna held out her arms. “Another day in Riley paradise here. What can I get you to drink?”

“Hit me with something strong and mighty.”

“You talking a man or a drink?”

Elizabeth laughed. “I’ll start with the drink and work my way up from there.”

Jenna filled a glass with ice and whiskey, straight up. “Hard and mighty. It’s Gavin’s favorite.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, Mom told me you two had a falling out and you fired him. Care to elaborate?”

Elizabeth took a long swallow, her eyes watering as the whiskey burned its way down her throat and into her belly. “Whoa.”

Jenna laughed. “Lightweight. Don’t get into a drinking contest with me, ever.”

“Duly noted.”

“Okay, girlfriend. Spill. What did my dumb-ass brother do to f**k things up?”

“I’m not sure it was entirely his fault.”

“Oh, I’m sure it was. Go on.”

“I pushed him to get back to the game. It’s my job as his agent.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Anyway, your other brother stuck his nose in our business and accused me once again of manipulating Gavin. I told Gavin I loved him.”

“Wow. Big step,” Jenna said.

“Yes. But I wanted him to understand that I cared about him and wanted only what was best for him. I could see he was miserable.”

Jenna nodded. “We all could see that.”

“So he asked me if I told all my clients that in order to get what I wanted, then he asked me how many of my clients I slept with.”

Jenna’s eyes widened, and she pushed off the bar. “Get the f**k outta here. He did not say that.”

Elizabeth hoisted her glass and emptied it, then laid it back on the bar. “Afraid so.”

Jenna refilled the glass. “This one’s on me. What an utter f**king prick. I can’t believe he said that to you. What was he thinking?”

“I have no idea.” She took the shot in one swallow this time. Jenna refilled it again.

“I’m so sorry, Liz. I know Gavin can be a little dense and unfeeling at times, but that was just uncalled for. I know he cares about you. Where was his head at the time?”

She shrugged and took the shot again, feeling warm and buzzed. “Don’t know. Don’t care anymore. At that point I was stunned, pissed, and disappointed as hell. I told him it was obvious we weren’t seeing eye to eye on business or personal agendas anymore, so I fired him and walked out on him.”

“Good for you, sister.” Jenna refilled Elizabeth’s glass, then poured another. “I’ll have a shot with you this time.”

Elizabeth giggled. “Can you do that since you’re on duty?”

Jenna lifted the glass. “Honey, I can do anything I damn well please. I’m the owner. Or at least part owner. Cheers. And men suck.”

They clinked glasses and Elizabeth chugged the shot. Her face was getting numb, but she felt a hell of a lot better now. She knew coming here was a great idea. In no time at all she’d forget all about Gavin Riley.

GAVIN SAT IN HIS LIVING ROOM PLAYING XBOX, TRYING to get his mind off Elizabeth. Sometime soon she’d get home, and he’d stop stalking her condo.

Okay, maybe tonight he’d go back there and see if her car was there yet. He’d try around midnight. She couldn’t stay gone forever. Eventually she’d have to go home, and she’d have to face him.

And he’d have to face her.

His cell buzzed. He picked it up, saw Jenna was calling.

“Hey, baby sister, what’s up?”

“Hey, dickhead. I need you to come to the bar for a pickup.”

He frowned. “Pickup. What kind of pickup?”

“Your girlfriend—or should I say ex-girlfriend—Elizabeth, is ten sheets to the wind here, and it’s 100 percent your fault, asshole.”

His heart thudded against his chest. “Lizzie is there? Why?”

“Getting stinking drunk because you’re a prick. You coming or should I call for relief so I can take her home?”

“On my way. Don’t let her leave.”

Jenna laughed. “Not intending to.”

He launched out the door, grateful he’d had an early game today. It was only eleven, but still, he might not have been around to take Jenna’s call, and he didn’t want to miss the chance to talk to Elizabeth.

Fifteen minutes later he pushed through the door of Riley’s and headed straight to the bar, ignoring the shouts and waves from the patrons calling his name.

“Where is she?”

Jenna motioned with her head. “Holding court at the pool table.”

He started to turn but Jenna grasped his wrist.

“What?”

“You were a jerk.”

He nodded. “I know. I’m an asshole. I hurt her, bad. You can lecture me later, and I deserve every word. I’m going to fix this.”

Jenna nodded. “See that you do.”

Geez. Women and bonding. He was so screwed. As if his mother hadn’t already read him the riot act about what he’d done to Elizabeth. His own family was turning against him. Not that he didn’t deserve it. He did, in spades.

He headed over to the crowded pool table and stopped in his tracks at the sight of Elizabeth bent over the table with about eight sets of horny, eager eyes focused on her ass. She wore black Capri pants and a sleeveless stretchy top and little canvas shoes. Her hair was in a ponytail. She looked hot and sexy, and oh, God, no wonder they were looking at her ass—those pants cupped the globes perfectly. She did have such a great ass, especially when she bent over like that.