First Down (Texas Titans #3)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “That’s not what I meant to say,” he said, swiping his hand over his face. “I’m not questioning your character. I know you’re not with me because you’re looking to advance your career.”

  “I’m moving to a new city,” she said quietly. “I thought it would be nice to make a few friends. I’ll admit, that’s not always easy for me. I tend to be shy. You were being so nice to me, I just thought… Forget it.”

  He gestured to a stool at the breakfast bar. He hated to see her standing there with her whole body tense and her fists clenched. “Sit down. Please.”

  Alana sighed before sliding onto the stool. “Maybe I should go.”

  “No.” He moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, kneading gently until he felt her relax. “I’m sorry. That came out all wrong.”

  “Then what were you trying to say?” she asked, her voice small.

  “I was trying to tell you I’m attracted to you, and I’m wondering if you feel the same way about me.”

  Her sharp intake of breath told him she hadn’t seen that question coming. “Grayson, I think you’re a nice guy, and I’d like to be friends, but I can’t think about anything more. My marriage was a disaster, and I’m still trying to heal those emotional scars. Not to mention…” She rested her hands on his. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you remind me so much of Ronan that it kind of creeps me out.”

  “Gee, how could I take that the wrong way?” He stepped back.

  She turned to face him. “I just mean that you look so much like him and…” She twisted her hands in her lap. “I can’t deny there are other similarities, too. You’re both strong, successful businessmen who are used to getting what you want. You see women as a commodity.”

  “That’s not true.” He wished his defiance had more merit. He couldn’t deny his track record with women wouldn’t give anyone the impression he took relationships seriously. “I love and respect women.”

  “I’m not questioning that,” she said, reaching for his hand. “I know you’re a good guy. So was Ronan when we first met. He was also a player. I fooled myself into believing that would change after we got married, that he could be faithful to me, but he wasn’t.”

  “I can’t believe he cheated on you.” Grayson wondered whether the guy was firing on all cylinders. How could he even think about cheating when he had Alana waiting for him at home?

  “Well he did.” She lowered her eyes. “More than once. I left him after the first time, but he begged me to come back. He convinced me it would never happen again.”

  “But it did.” That insight gave him some idea of what he would be up against if he expected to win her over.

  “Yeah. After I found out about the second time, I left him for good.” She shrugged. “Who knows how many others there were or how long it went on. Hell, he was flirting with a waitress on our honeymoon. If that wasn’t a sign of trouble, I don’t know what is.”

  “So he gave you a real hard time about the divorce, huh?” Grayson didn’t even have to ask. No man in his right mind would let a woman like Alana go without a fight. Even if he didn’t deserve her.

  “You can say that again,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He still hasn’t accepted it’s over. That’s why he came to see me before I left Sacramento. He wanted to make it clear he wasn’t ready to let me go.”

  Grayson reached for her hands. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I can certainly understand why you’re not interested in getting involved with anyone else right now, but I hope we can still be friends.”

  “I’d like that,” she said, smiling. “Thank you for understanding, Grayson.”

  Chapter Six

  Friends. Alana had been the one to propose it, but she wondered if she could really pull it off. Grayson was sexy as hell, successful, intelligent, charming… every woman’s fantasy. He was everything Ronan had been in the beginning, including attentive and considerate. Was it just an act to get her to lower her defenses so he could get her into bed? She didn’t want to believe he was cut from the same cloth as her ex-husband, but she couldn’t trust her own judgment anymore.

  “Did you hear what I said?” he asked, pouring her a coffee.

  “I’m sorry.” She reached for a stem of grapes from the fruit platter he’d assembled. “My mind must have been wandering. What did you say?”

  “We’re having a company barbeque at Zach and Rennie’s house next weekend. You can come, can’t you?”

  “Zach? He’s the baseball player, right?”

  “You got it. He’s a great guy, and you’ll love his wife. She’s a real sweetheart. So what do you say? Can you make it?”

  “I think so.” She didn’t want to commit to anything until she got a feel for the lay of land at High Rollers. “Can I let you know for sure a little later?”

  “Sure, no problem.” He sat back and stared at her as the wind whipped through her hair.

  They were dining outside. He’d barbequed shrimp, zucchini, and peppers to perfection. They’d opted to forgo the steaks, because it was too late for a heavy meal.

  “Do you need a sweater?” he asked when she slid her hands over her arms.

  “Um…” It was cooling off, and the last thing she wanted was to put on a show in her thin cotton tank top. “Sure, that would be nice. Thanks.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  She took in the beauty surrounding her. His two-story stucco house was on two pristine acres backing onto a golf course. He had an Olympic-sized swimming pool, which he claimed he used every chance he got. The lot was landscaped to ensure privacy and lower the risk of golf balls coming through a window. It was an impressive home that gave her the distinct impression Grayson, like Ronan, liked to flaunt his wealth.

  “Here you go,” he said, wrapping a gray cashmere sweater around her shoulders.

  “Thanks.” She tried to ignore the scent of his cologne as he leaned over her. “What?”

  “I just wanted to make sure you’re warm enough. We can go in if you want?”

  “No, I’m fine, really.” It was nice outside, and she could hear the muted voices from the country club parking lot. It reminded her they weren’t totally alone, which gave her peace of mind.

  “This may sound crazy, but a dip in the hot tub might be the perfect way to warm up.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said quickly. “I don’t have a swimsuit.”

  He laughed. “All that luggage and no swimsuit? Really?”

  She’d forgotten about her luggage in his car. “Okay, you got me. I guess I do have a swimsuit.”

  “So what do you say? You wanna move this to the hot tub?”

  It sounded decadent, and it had been a long time since she’d treated herself to any kind of indulgence. But she only had a few tiny bikinis, nothing she would wear in front of her new boss. But you don’t mind wearing them in front of strangers on the beach or on stage?

  He chuckled. “Do you ever do anything without analyzing it to death?”

  “I don’t analyze everything to death,” she said, pulling the sweater tighter around her. “I just like to make sound decisions. I don’t like to make mistakes.”

  He groaned, tipping back his head. “How could this be a mistake? It’s a beautiful night. There are thousands of stars in the sky. There’s a big ol’ hot tub just beckoning us. Come on, Alana. Live a little.”

  Live a little. Isn’t that what she’d come to Arlington to do? To start her life over, take chances, and obliterate her fear? “Fine.” She stood before she had time to question her decision. “I’ll grab my bag from the car.”

  He jumped up as though he suspected she would change her mind if he hesitated. “I’ll do that.”

  She followed him into the house. He’d already seen her in her running gear. A swimsuit wasn’t so different. She’d keep a respectable distance from him in the hot tub. It looked big enough to seat six. She’d take one side and give him the other. Simple. Feeling better about her decision, she re
leased a deep breath.

  He turned, gripping her upper arms. “Stop it.”

  “Stop what?” Her heart rate kicked up at the intensity in his eyes.

  “Stop over-thinking everything. Stop questioning whether you can trust me, whether you deserve to have a little fun. You do. We do.”

  “I agree.”

  “You do?” He sounded surprised.

  “I do.” She tugged the sweater from around her shoulders, forcing him to release her. “Thank you for letting me borrow this. I don’t think I’ll need it anymore.”

  He held it up to his nose and inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes and groaned. “That’s what I was afraid of. It smells like you.”

  Alana felt a tug of lust unfurl in her belly and travel south. “It smelled like you when you gave it to me.” Trying to recover, she added, “I can have it dry cleaned for you if you like.”

  His eyes darkened as he opened them. “Not a chance. I may never clean this thing again. I love the way you smell.” He licked his lips. “I’m willing to bet my last dollar you taste even better.”

  “Grayson…” There was a note of censure in her voice, but she wasn’t convincing either of them that she wanted him to stop. She drank in his words like a woman parched for love and attention. She only hoped he couldn’t read her desperation.

  “You’re right.” He stepped back. “I made a promise… Sort of.”

  His lopsided grin melted her resolve. Promises were made to be broken. That’s what she wanted to say, but she bit her lip instead.

  “Tell me what you want, Alana.” He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek. “Do you want me to back off…” He trailed a fingertip over her lips. “Or do you want me to kiss you?”

  Kiss me, please, kiss me. She couldn’t bring herself to say the words, so she glided her tongue over her lower lip. He must have been able to read her mind, because his lips descended on hers. Crushing the sweater between them, he pulled her close. His kiss was soft and tender and brought tears to her eyes. He kissed her as if she were an unexpected treasure.

  She’d always dreamed of finding a man who would worship her instead of treating her like a possession that needed to be minded in case someone tried to steal it. She explored his mouth as she tried to imprint every sweet second in her memory so she could relive it. No man had ever kissed her so thoroughly, as though he couldn’t bear to let her go.

  “Sweet Jesus,” he whispered, brushing his lips across her cheek when they were forced to come up for air. “Why didn’t you tell me you could kiss like that?”

  Alana giggled, feeling a little self-conscious. “I guess I didn’t know. You must have brought it out in me.” She knew she should feel guilty for kissing her new boss, but she couldn’t seem to regret the most incredible kiss she’d ever experienced.

  “Hmmm…” He glided his mouth over her neck. “I wonder what other surprises you have in store for me.”

  There was no way she could wear a string bikini and jump in a hot tub with him when one little kiss got her all hot and bothered. “Grayson, about the hot tub…”

  He pulled back to look at her. Tossing the sweater aside, he threaded his fingers through her hair. “You’re not sorry we did that, are you? ‘Cause I sure as hell don’t have any regrets.”

  “No regrets.” She smiled to put his mind at ease. She might feel differently when she had to face him at the office, but for the moment, she was too happy to care about the repercussions. “I just don’t think we should test our resolve. We agreed it would be a bad idea to get involved. You have your reasons, I have mine, but the bottom line is we’ll be working together, and your partners expect you to honor your commitment. I don’t want to be the reason you break your promise to them.”

  He sighed heavily. “You had to remind me of that, didn’t you?” Stepping back, he threaded his hand through hers. “Fine, I’ll take you home.”

  “Home for now,” she corrected. “The first order of business tomorrow is apartment hunting.”

  He drew little circles on her palm with his thumb. “How? You don’t have a car.”

  “Kari has to work tomorrow. Maybe I can borrow hers.”

  “Or you can let me tag along,” Grayson suggested, grabbing his car keys off the kitchen counter. “I’ve lived here all my life. No one knows the area better than I do. Besides, you don’t want some pushy agent trying to sell you on something only to find it was the wrong call, do you?”

  He had a point. She’d asked Kari to go with her for that reason. Alana wanted to find something before she started her job on Monday. “It’s sweet of you to offer, but I’m sure you have better things to do.”

  He kissed her hand as they walked to his car. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than spend more time with you.”

  “We’re venturing into dangerous territory,” she said softly. “The more time we spend together, the harder it’s going to be to deny what’s happening between us.”

  “Maybe the boys will give me a pass,” he said, disarming her with a boyish grin. “If I level with them.”

  “Level with them?”

  He opened her car door and helped her in before releasing her hand. Instead of closing the door, he crouched down so they were eye to eye. “Yeah. If I told them I’m going out of my mind thinking about you night and day.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath. “You can’t tell them that.”

  “Why not? It’s the truth.”

  “They can’t know,” she pleaded. “I mean, not that there’s anything to tell. I don’t want them to think I’m trying to get in good with you just to secure my position with the company. I want them to get to know me for me. It’s important for me to earn their respect, and that’s never going to happen if your partners are questioning my motives. Please don’t say anything to them about us spending time together outside of work.”

  He looked at her as though he was mulling over his options. He clearly wasn’t happy about keeping his partners in the dark. “If that’s the way you want it, that’s the way it’ll be—for now.”

  “For now?” Panic tightened her chest. “Does that mean you intend to tell them?”

  “It won’t be long before they see that you’re a valuable member of the team, Alana. You’ll earn their respect as easily as you’ve earned mine.”

  She reached for his hand. “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me that you respect me.”

  “I do,” he said, looking at their joined hands. “And I haven’t said that to a woman in a long, long time.”

  Alana wondered what else he hadn’t said to a woman in a long time. Was Grayson the type of man to fall fast and hard, or did he protect his heart? Unfortunately, she would never know. As tempting as he was, tonight would have to be their first and last kiss.

  ***

  Grayson woke up the next morning excited about the day ahead. In spite of the fact that Alana had slipped out of his car without a goodnight kiss, he still drove home smiling. And he woke up smiling because he would get to spend the entire day with her. He couldn’t wait.

  He’d called to tell her he was coming, so she was already on the front porch when he arrived. She literally took his breath away. Faded denim shorts, a hot pink tank top, and denim flip-flops would look too casual on any other woman, but it was perfect on her. Toned, tanned legs, well-rounded shoulders, perky… He forced himself out of the car to open her door, hoping the blinding sun would be his saving grace. Her effect on him was obvious, and the last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable.

  “Good morning, gorgeous,” he said, opening her car door quickly. Hiding behind it seemed like his best option. He’d much rather lean in to find out if she was wearing the same scent as last night. The one that lingered on the sweater he’d tossed on the pillow beside him. “Sleep well?”

  She raised her oversized sunglasses to give him a slow and thorough perusal that exacerbated his problem. “I probably slept as well as you did.”

  He g
rinned. At least he wasn’t the only one struggling to keep his word. “Am I supposed to say I’m sorry to hear that?” He closed the door and leaned in through the open window.

  “A gentleman would,” she said, fastening her seatbelt.

  “Funny, I don’t recall claiming to be one of those.”

  She narrowed her eyes as though she was sizing him up. “You’re a tough guy to read. I never know whether you’re joking.”

  “Just tryin’ to keep you on your toes, sweetheart.”

  She patted his cheek. “That you do.” Her hand lingered on the stubble he hadn’t bothered to shave when he’d finally hauled his butt out of the shower. “This look works for you.”

  “Is that so? Do ya think it’s sexy?” He was fishing for compliments, but if there was the slightest chance it turned her on, he may never shave again.

  “If you think I intend to feed that enormous ego of yours, you’re crazy.”

  Grayson was still laughing as he made his way around the car. He loved that she wasn’t afraid to put him in his place. Most women were so concerned about whether he would ask them out that they were afraid to challenge him, and that got boring. He wanted a woman who gave as good as she got, and Alana had no trouble doing that.

  “Oh my God, what is that incredible smell?” she asked, pivoting her head around.

  He grinned and pulled a paper bag from behind his seat. “You must be talking about these?” He held them under her nose. It might be fun to watch her beg. “My housekeeper makes the best blueberry muffins you’ve ever tasted. Fresh blueberries, whole grain flour—I think she even throws a little flax seed in there.”

  She was sitting on her hands to keep from grabbing for the bag. She’s too damn cute. With that, he began to fear for his heart. No woman had ever captured it, but he wondered if he might be going down for the count.

  “Would you like one?” he asked, opening the bag. The smell of warm muffins filled the small space, and she let out a little moan. His plan to tease her had backfired. She was the one taunting him with the sounds he wanted to hear her make while she was pinned under him. “Is that a yes?”