First Down (Texas Titans #3)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “I don’t need you, and I don’t need your money. I never did.”

  “But you sure as hell didn’t mind spending it while we were married, did you?”

  That accusation felt like a slap across the face. She’d never been comfortable spending his money. Her parents had raised her to pay her own way and support herself. Marrying a wealthy man hadn’t changed that. “I worked for every dollar I made during our marriage. I didn’t need any handouts from you.”

  “You wouldn’t have had that job or any other if not for me.”

  She recognized the panic in his eyes. He realized he was losing control, and he was determined to do something about it.

  Alana was tired of arguing with him and trying to convince him it really was over. “I got another job, and I’m looking forward to starting a new life far away from you.”

  “You think High Rollers will want to keep you when they realize you come with so much baggage?” he asked, his lip curling into a sneer. “What? You’re surprised I know where you’re going? I know everything about you, sweetheart. Always have, always will. You can run, but you can’t hide from me. Don’t you know that by now?”

  A chill ran down Alana’s spine as she realized she may never be free of him. He would always haunt her, like a pesky ghost, terrorizing her and destroy her life.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked, lowering his voice to a seductive whisper. “Are you getting another one of those nasty panic attacks?” He laughed. “You really should take the medication the doctor prescribed. I have a feeling they’re going to get a hell of a lot worse. Have a safe flight.” He blew her a kiss as he backed out the door. “I’ll be seeing you soon, my love.”

  Alana shuddered. When her phone rang, she reached for it, almost afraid it was Ronan. Grayson. “Hello.”

  “Hey, I hope you don’t mind me calling, but I was wondering what time your flight gets in. I thought you might need someone to pick you up at the airport.”

  Alana had thought of him often over the past few days. She’d even been tempted to call him a few times, but they had to maintain a professional relationship. “It’s nice of you to ask, but I can take a taxi to Kari’s.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “I’m just at the office building where I was temping. I came to pick up my last paycheck.” She didn’t even want to think about how Ronan had known where to find her. “I’m waiting on a taxi, and then I’m going back to my parents’ place to pick up my luggage.”

  “Why aren’t you driving?”

  “I sold my car. I needed the money to get settled in Arlington. You know, rent an apartment and everything. Kari and her mom are great, but I can’t impose on them.”

  “Hon, you didn’t have to sell your car. If you needed money, we could have given you an advance.”

  “I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she said quickly. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she would use their friendship to ask for special favors. “Besides, I plan to get an apartment within walking distance of the office and everything else I might need.”

  “I have an extra car you could use.”

  “Excuse me?” Surely he hadn’t offered to lend her a car. He barely knew her.

  “I have an SUV I hardly ever drive. You’re welcome to it.”

  “Thank you so much for the offer, but I’d rather walk.” His incredibly generous offer had caught her off guard, but she hoped she hadn’t come off as brusque.

  “Suit yourself. Hey, are you okay? You sound a little off.”

  Alana questioned how much she should tell him. She didn’t want him to worry, but if Ronan knew about High Rollers, it would only be a matter of time before he contacted her at the office. “Ronan was just here. He knows I’ll be working for you.”

  “How?”

  “I have no idea. I don’t know why I’m surprised. He always seems to know every step I take.” She released a shaky breath. “I just wish he’d leave me the hell alone. I thought moving to another state would be enough, but—”

  “Just relax,” Grayson said. “He can’t hurt you as long as you’re here with me. I won’t let him.”

  His words were a balm to her weary soul. She needed to have someone in her corner when she got out there, someone who wouldn’t be afraid to stand up to Ronan. “I don’t want to drag you into this, Grayson. It’s not your problem. It’s mine.”

  “I hate guys who think they can get away with bullying people, especially women, and it sounds like this ex of yours has been doing it for far too long.” It sounded as though he’d shifted the phone as he lowered his voice. “Trust me, if he’s stupid enough to come out here and give you a hard time, he won’t even know what hit him.”

  Alana felt a tear fall down her cheek. She’d felt helpless for so long. As much as her family loved her and wanted to protect her, there was little they could do. The police wouldn’t even help her. Yet with a few words, Grayson had made her believe he could. Ronan threw his weight around in Sacramento, because people feared him, but Arlington was Grayson’s turf, and her ex couldn’t get away with that out there.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “You don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”

  “Tell me what time your flight gets in. I really want to pick you up at the airport.”

  She heard the hitch in his voice, as if he was thinking the same thing she was. I need to see you tonight. “Nine o’clock.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  ***

  Grayson was waiting for Alana’s flight when Sulli returned his call. “Took you long enough to get back to me.” Grayson turned his back when an elderly couple glanced at him. “My message said it was important.”

  “I know, but—”

  “I don’t want to hear any excuses. I want you to dig up anything and everything you can on Ronan Holmes. He owns a software company in Sacramento.”

  “Yeah, I know who he is. Jaxon asked me to investigate his ex-wife, remember?”

  Grayson thought of the manila folder on his desk. He could ask Sulli about the surveillance photos, ask for more information about the men Alana had been with, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. She was leaving those men, whoever they were, behind. That was the only thing that mattered. “Yeah, well now I want you to investigate him. Judging by what I’ve heard about this guy, he’s a real dirtbag. I want you to dig up anything you can on him.”

  “You’re looking for something incriminating?”

  He and Sulli had known each other a long time. “Let’s just say he’s been giving a friend of mine a hard time. I think it’s time someone put the heat on him for a change.”

  Sulli laughed his raspy laugh that usually ended with a harsh cough thanks to his years of smoking. “You’re not telling me you want to blackmail him, are you, good buddy?”

  “I’m just telling you I want to know everything he wouldn’t want me to know. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  “Good, and Sulli…?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I want it yesterday.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  “That sounded ominous,” Alana said from behind him. Grayson turned around as she handed a bill to the gentleman wheeling her luggage cart. “Thank you for your help. I can take it from here.”

  “Are you sure?” the man asked, smiling at her. “I’d be happy to help you to your car.”

  “I’ve got this,” Grayson muttered with a frown as he reached for one of the suitcases. He wondered if men fell all over themselves trying to help her everywhere she went.

  “Thanks, Grayson.” She reached for two of the smaller suitcases. “I hope I didn’t interrupt an important call.”

  “Not at all. I was just finishing up. How was your flight?” He led her toward the exit where he’d left his car.

  She smiled. “Uneventful, just the way I like it. It was nice of you to pick me up, but you didn’t have to. I could have taken a cab or asked Kari to pick me up.”

 
“Maybe I wanted to spend a little more time with you,” he said, passing through the automatic doors. “Is that so terrible?”

  He was trying to play his hand close to the vest, but whenever she stepped into his line of vision, all of his good intentions fled… along with the breath she took away. She was dressed casually in yoga shorts, flip-flops, a sports tank, and a sleeveless hoodie with her long hair in a high ponytail. Many of the women milling in and out of the crowd were dressed the same way, but none made his blood pressure rise the way she did.

  “You look great,” he said as he snuck another peek at her before loading her luggage into his Yukon.

  “I look like hell.” She groaned. “I got tied up saying good-bye to everyone, and I didn’t have time to change.”

  “Trust me, you look incredible.” After dating so many women who were afraid to sweat or be seen without makeup, Alana was a refreshing change. “Have you eaten?” He walked around to the passenger’s side to open her door.

  “Airplane food?” She wrinkled her nose. “I think I’d rather starve.”

  Given how health conscious she was, he was counting on that. “I haven’t eaten either. I was gonna throw a steak on the barbeque for dinner. You care to join me?”

  “I don’t know,” she said as she fastened her seatbelt. “Kari might be waiting for me.”

  “Text her and tell her you’re gonna grab a bite with me.” He was trying to keep his voice casual, but it wasn’t easy. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to get to know her.

  “Okay.” She reached into her purse for her phone. “I’m famished.” She texted her friend and set her phone in the cup holder. It pinged with a message as soon as she set it down.

  “That was quick,” he said, easing into the line of traffic leaving the airport.

  Alana glanced at the screen. “She says she has to work late, so she’ll catch up with me in the morning.”

  “Perfect.” He turned the dial to his favorite country radio station. “You cool with this?”

  “Are you kidding?” She reached for the volume when a Miranda Lambert song came on. “I love country music.”

  She rocked out to the tune, bopping her head and singing along as she drummed her fingers on her thigh. To his surprise, she had a nice voice. Throaty and sexy. It made him wonder what she would sound like whispering his name when she got excited.

  “What are you looking at?”

  “You’re cute.” He didn’t know if he’d ever told a woman she was cute. Beautiful, yes, even sexy. But sans makeup, her ponytail flying in the breeze, Alana looked young and carefree. Cute was the best word to describe her.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Cute? That’s the best you can do?” She stole a glance at her reflection in the side mirror. “You know what? You’re being generous. I’ll take cute.”

  “I love how uninhibited you are,” he said, glancing behind him as he made his way onto the freeway.

  “I wasn’t always that way. This has kind of been a year of self-discovery for me. By the time I divorced Ronan, I realized I’d lost myself. I had to figure out who I was and what I wanted.”

  “You’ve obviously figured it out.” He was grateful she was no longer trapped in a marriage with a man who made her miserable. Even though he didn’t know her well, he knew she deserved better.

  “It’s a slow process, but I’m getting there.”

  “I’m glad.” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel when he had the urge to claim her hand. She was still skittish, and he had to earn her friendship before he could press for more.

  “How has your week been?” she asked, shifting in her seat so she could face him. “Didn’t you say you had to go out of town for a couple of days?”

  “I did. It’s my job to visit our different locations and make sure things are running smoothly.”

  “So you’re out of town a lot?”

  He stole a glance at her, trying to decide whether he was imagining the disappointment in her voice. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part. “Yeah, usually half the month.”

  “Must make it difficult to have a relationship.”

  Grayson chuckled. “I’m not real big on relationships.” He hoped he wasn’t sending out the wrong message. He definitely wanted to get to know her better and have a little fun, but he wanted to keep things casual. It was probably best to clue her in now.

  “That makes two of us.” She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and ran her fingers through it. “I hope I’ll get married again, but I really want to focus on building a life for myself first. I want to know that I can stand on my own before I look for a man to share my life with, you know what I mean?”

  Grayson knew he was supposed to respond, but he was lost in thoughts of running his hands through her hair. “Uh yeah, sure.”

  “You got something else on your mind?” Her lips twitched with amusement.

  “No, not at all.”

  She tuned into the radio again. “Oh, I love this song!”

  He listened to her sing along with a Luke Bryan song. He hadn’t felt that comfortable with a woman… ever. Something about Alana brought out the real Grayson, the one only his close friends and family got to see. Before he’d had too much time to analyze what was happening between them, she was jumping out of the truck and running up the stone walk to his front door.

  “What’s the hurry?” he asked, taking long strides to catch up.

  She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, blushing. “I hate using the washroom at airports.”

  “How about on planes?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  “You can’t be serious,” she said, wide-eyed.

  He laughed and dangled the keys in front of her. “I’m guessing you’re in a hurry to get inside then?”

  She growled and reached for the keys. “You get off on torturing me, don’t you?”

  Grayson wasn’t a fool. When he saw an opportunity, he took it. Stepping behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Let me see if I can help you with that.”

  He heard the hitch in her breathing as he fitted the key in the lock. He wondered if she could hear his heart pounding. When she turned her head and looked up at him as though she was expecting him to make a move, he wanted to kiss her.

  The door shifted open, and the alarm went off, signaling he had less than a minute to enter his security code. “Damn it. Excuse me.” He edged past her, trying to ignore the fact his body was still humming.

  “May I please use your washroom?”

  Grayson smiled at her prim and proper tone. Her politeness ratcheted her cute factor up tenfold. “Be my guest.” He gestured to the powder room down the hall. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”

  “Thanks.” She practically sprinted across the hardwood.

  He laughed at her retreating back before his eyes traveled lower and his amusement turned to something much more intense. Taking advantage of what he believed was a mutual attraction was crossing the line, especially since she was their employee. His partners would no doubt read him the Riot Act for failing to practice what he preached, but none of that dulled his desire.

  “You’re a stupid son of a bitch,” he muttered as he made his way to the kitchen. “Of all the women in the world, you had to fall for an employee—” He stopped in his tracks. Had he fallen for Alana? He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her all week. He’d been counting down the hours until he could see her again. He hadn’t recognized the signs, probably because they were so foreign to him, but the little temptress had snuck into his life and under his skin before he even knew what hit him. “Now what the hell am I gonna do?”

  “Ha, who’s talking to themselves now?” she said. “See, I’m not the only one who does it.”

  He stared at her as though he were seeing her for the first time. That full mouth, those long dark eyelashes, the dusting of freckles across her nose… those eyes. In spite of her incredible body, her eyes fascinated him the most.

>   “Why are you looking at me that way?” she asked, swallowing. “Did I say something wrong? I was just teasing you about—”

  “We’ve got a problem.” He took a deep breath, silently rehearsing what he wanted to say. He’d never been in that position before. Relationships had always come easily for him. If he was attracted to a woman and she was single, he asked her out. They went out a few times until he got her out of his system, then he moved on. The ladies knew the score, so he felt no guilt when he sent a dozen roses with a card thanking them for showing him a good time.

  She looked panicked as she crossed her arms over her stomach. “This isn’t about the job, is it? You haven’t changed your mind, have you? Is that why you brought me here, to break it to me gently?”

  “No, this has nothing to do with your job.” He leaned against the counter, hoping she couldn’t tell how uneasy he was. “Well, it sort of does, but not the way you think.”

  “Can you just tell me what this is about? You’re kind of freaking me out. I just uprooted my whole life to come out here and—”

  “We have a strict policy about dating our employees,” he said, rushing in before he lost his nerve. “I proposed it, and all the guys agreed. We live in a litigious society, right? I mean, a lawsuit wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility if we slept with one of our employees and things didn’t work out.” He swallowed his apprehension and forced himself to continue, even though her expression told him he was just digging himself a deeper hole. “Even if it was just about sex and she knew the score, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t change her mind after the fact.”

  “Why the hell are you telling me this?” she demanded, clenching her teeth. “You think I want to sleep with you? Is that what you’re implying?”

  He raised his hands, hoping she would see it as a white flag. “No, God no, that’s not where I was going with this at all, I swear.” He didn’t think he could dig his way out of that mess with an army of shovels.

  “Then where is this going?” She glared at him. “Let me explain something to you. I don’t make a habit of sleeping with my bosses. I was married to Ronan long before he hired me. I didn’t go to work for him then go to bed with him thinking it would get me a raise or promotion.”