Free Changing the Game by Jaci Burton Page A

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