“I’m sure Jaxon was thrilled about that,” Terri said, taking a sip of wine. “Spending time with beautiful women seems to be one his favorite pastimes.”
“We’re just friends, honestly.”
“You and Jaxon, or you and my brother?”
“Both.”
“That’s too bad.” Terri sighed. “We really hoped this thing with you and Gray could go somewhere.”
Alana felt a little flutter of excitement in her tummy, but she tamped it down. “I don’t think so. I just got out of a really bad marriage. I thought I knew Ronan, and it turns out I didn’t. I’m having a little trouble trusting my judgment when it comes to men these days.”
“That’s understandable. I’d probably feel the same way in your shoes.” Terri hesitated, as though she was weighing her words. “My brother mentioned that he reminds you a bit of your ex.”
Alana laughed. “More than a little. If you met Ronan, you’d know what I mean.”
“Would you think I’m terrible if I admit that I Googled him?”
“No, I wouldn’t think you’re terrible,” Alana said, smiling. “I probably would’ve done the same thing.”
“I can’t deny there’s a striking resemblance.”
“It’s not the physical resemblance that bothers me.” Alana couldn’t believe she was about to open up to Grayson’s sister, but she wanted her take on it. “Your brother is pretty intense. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think he’s a nice guy, but—”
“He seems controlling?” Terri smiled when Alana nodded. “And he always has to be right. I hate that about him. But there are so many things to love about him you learn to overlook that.”
Alana didn’t doubt that was true, but given her history, she had good reason to be wary.
When a couple approached the table, Terri said, “Why don’t we snag those chairs in the shade before someone else does?”
“Sure.” Alana should have been circulating, meeting her new bosses and co-workers, but she felt more comfortable with Terri than she had with any woman, aside from Kari, in a long time.
“What’s my brother told you about his past?” Terri asked once they were seated.
“Not a lot,” Alana admitted, sipping her sweet tea. “We don’t know each other all that well.”
“Seems you know each other well enough for you to have formed some pretty strong opinions about the kind of man he is,” Terri said. “I’m not judging you. I can certainly understand why you feel the way you do. Did Gray tell you he played college football?”
Alana knew Grayson should have been the one telling her about that, and she felt a little guilty for allowing his sister to fill her in. “No, he didn’t mention that.”
“He was a quarterback.” Terri set her empty glass in the grass by her feet. “He was good, really good. He had a good shot at going pro.”
“Wow, I had no idea. What happened?”
“My daddy had a stroke, and Gray had to drop out of school to come home and take care of the ranch.”
Alana’s mouth dropped open before she snapped it shut again.
“He still got his degree, one class at a time, but his football dreams died the day he told the coach he was catching the first plane home.” Terri blinked back tears before she allowed them to fall. “We almost lost Daddy that year. Rehabilitation was hell. He couldn’t walk or talk. Hell, he couldn’t even feed himself. He was just a frightening shadow of the man he used to be.”
“I’m so sorry,” Alana said, reaching for Terri’s hand. “That must have been awful.”
“It was. But it was harder on Gray than anyone. Daddy was his hero, and Gray was so afraid of letting him down. The ranch has been in my daddy’s family for four generations, but if it wasn’t making enough money, we’d have no choice but to start selling off the land. Gray knew that would kill Daddy.”
“So he gave up his dream of playing professional football to take care of your family?” Alana swallowed the lump in her throat. Grayson seemed as if he had it all together, as if he’d always had it easy. She couldn’t believe how wrong she’d been. “That must have been hard.”
“You have no idea,” Terri said, releasing a shaky breath. “Sometimes, after everyone else went to bed, I’d wander downstairs and find him on the back porch with a beer. He said he couldn’t sleep, had too much on his mind.”
“But your father made a full recovery?” Alana asked, hoping the story had a happy ending.
“He did, but it took a few years, and he never went back to ranching full time. By then, the ranch was doing so well he could afford to hire someone to manage it. That was right around the time Jaxon came to Grayson with the idea for High Rollers. Daddy gave them the money Grayson had refused to draw as a salary for all those years.”
“Do you think he’s sorry he wasn’t able to play professional football?” Alana asked. He didn’t seem like a bitter or resentful man, but she didn’t know him all that well.
“I think he would do just about anything for the people he loves,” Terri said, obviously avoiding the question. “He had to take control, otherwise we would have lost everything. I think that just became so ingrained in him that he’s had a hard time shaking it.”
“It serves him well in his business dealings though,” Alana said. Men like Grayson—or Ronan—who felt they had to control everything and everyone always had a story. As noble as Grayson’s was, that didn’t change that he was a control freak.
“Sometimes. All the guys are pretty strong-willed. They butt heads a lot, but they always manage to come to some kind of agreement.”
“You’re obviously proud of your brother,” Alana said. “I meant what I said earlier—I do think he’s a great guy.”
“You’re just not sure he’s the right guy for you?”
“No, I’m not.”
Terri touched her forearm. “No one can convince you to feel something you don’t, but I think you’ll regret it if you don’t give him a chance. What can it hurt to get to know him better?”
***
Grayson was surprised to see Alana chatting with his sister. They looked deep in conversation, so he didn’t want to intrude. Were they talking about him? Was his little sister putting in a good word for him with Alana? If she was, he’d have to reward her with expensive jewelry for her birthday next month.
“Keep your eyes off my girl,” Jaxon said, wrapping his arm around Grayson’s neck.
“Your girl?” Grayson gripped his longneck tighter as he shook off Jaxon. “Who the hell are we talking about? And don’t tell me it’s Alana.” He’d been making himself crazy wondering about Jaxon and Alana.
Jaxon chuckled. “Why didn’t you just tell me you had a thing for her? You know I would’ve backed off.”
Grayson breathed a sigh of relief. Jaxon understood guy code well, and they would never step on each other’s toes. Even if his partners gave him a hard time about breaking his own rules, Grayson could live with that if it meant he could come clean about his feelings for her. “How’d you know I was into her?”
Jaxon chuckled. “Might’ve been the fact you looked about ready to rip my head off when I talked about going over to Alana’s place.”
“Did you go?”
“Only to find out if she felt the same way about you.”
Grayson was right—his friend did have an ulterior motive. But it felt damn good to have friends who were there for him. “And? Did you find out how she feels?” He should have asked Alana that question, but if Jaxon could give him some insight, he would take it.
“She’s scared, that’s pretty obvious.” Jaxon watched Alana and Terri. “She likes you, but I’m not all that sure she wants to. She’s fighting it.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Grayson didn’t feel better hearing his friend confirm his fears. “So what do you think I should do about it?”
“Be her friend.”
“Her friend?” Grayson couldn’t believe he was hearing that from Jaxon of all people. He
hadn’t had a platonic relationship with a woman in all the years they’d known each other. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m serious.” Jaxon grabbed a handful of potato chips from a bowl in the center of the table and popped one into his mouth. “She expects you to come on strong, to try to get her into bed. What she doesn’t expect is for you to take the time to get to know her, to earn her trust. That’s what a girl like Alana needs.”
Grayson had never believed that slow and steady won the race. Sprinting was more his style, but he was willing to consider his friend’s advice. “I’ll think about it. Thanks.”
“No problem.” Jaxon slapped him on the back. “Good luck, Gray. That one’s worth fighting for.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
Chapter Eleven
Alana tried to listen to Terri talking about her niece’s birthday party, but Grayson was walking toward them, making it hard for Alana to focus on anything else. He looked incredible in a black swimsuit, tank top, sandals, and dark sunglasses. His rock-hard biceps made it impossible for Alana to tear her attention away. She was grateful for her dark glasses. Without them, everyone at the party would have known she was thinking about all the naughty things she wanted him to do to her.
“Hey, look who’s here,” Terri said, jumping up when she spotted her brother. She threw her arms around his neck and planted a noisy kiss on his cheek. “Good to see you, Gray. What’s this I hear about you being with the leech last night?”
“Uh…” Grayson glanced at Alana. “It was nothing. She just wanted to talk.”
“Likely story,” Terri said, frowning.
He pointed toward Duane. “I think your husband was looking for you. Why don’t you see what he wants?”
“Is that your not-so-subtle way of telling me to get lost?” she asked, planting a fist on her hip.
“Yes.” He tweaked her nose. “The sooner, the better.”
Terri reached for Alana’s hand. “It was great talking to you. Maybe we could get together for lunch next week?”
“I’d love that.” Alana enjoyed Terri’s company, but she was dying to hear about Grayson’s trip—not that she would have had the nerve to ask him about Patti. “Call me at the office, and we’ll set it up.”
“You got it.” Terri stood on her tip-toes and stage-whispered, “This one’s a keeper, Gray. Screw this up, and I’ll have to kill you.”
Grayson laughed and shook his head as his sister walked away. “Subtlety is definitely not her strong suit.”
“No, but she’s great.” Alana smiled as her new friend rejoined her husband. The adoration in Duane’s eyes made Alana’s chest constrict. She didn’t need a partner to make her life complete, but having a man who loved her that much would make the bad days a whole lot better.
“Looked like you could use a refill,” Grayson said, handing her a glass of sweet tea.
“Thank you.” As Grayson claimed the seat beside her, she asked, “How was your trip? Productive, I hope?”
“It was great. We’re definitely on the right track there.”
“That’s good.”
He swallowed a mouthful of beer, his full lips wrapped around the bottle. “About Patti…”
“You don’t owe me an explanation.” She cursed her stupidity. She wanted to hear his explanation. “Unless you want to tell me what happened with her?”
He grinned. Apparently subtlety wasn’t her strong suit either. “She came to my hotel room last night. I didn’t ask her to come.”
“Oh.” Alana took a sip of tea. So she’d been in his hotel room… That could only mean one thing.
“I told her I couldn’t see her anymore.”
Alana could have melted from the heat in his gaze as his eyes raked over her body. She was wearing a red one-piece with cut outs across the stomach and a matching wrap tied around her hips. She thought it was appropriately modest for an office pool party, but the way Grayson looked at her made her feel as if she were wearing nothing at all. “Oh, uh, why did you do that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
She could barely breathe. She’d been a fool to think she had a prayer of resisting his appeal. No woman was that strong… or that stupid. “Maybe you’d better tell me. I wouldn’t want to jump to the wrong conclusions.”
“She’s not you.”
Alana wanted to jump up and do a happy dance, but she gripped the armrest of her chair instead.
“I was with her, and all I could think about was you.” He repositioned his chair so he was facing her. “That’s been happening to me a lot lately. A pretty girl walks by, and you pop into my head.”
Alana couldn’t help but smile. What woman wouldn’t be flattered by that? “Is that so?”
“Jaxon just gave me some good advice, but I seem to be having trouble taking it.”
“What kind of advice did he give you?” She should focus on their conversation instead of remembering the way his lips felt on hers, but it was damn near impossible. She’d missed him, and she wanted to show him how much.
“He suggested that I take things slow with you, earn your trust, and focus on being a good friend. He seems to think that’s what you need from me right now.”
Jaxon was probably right, but her body was sending her a different message. “What do you think I need?”
He groaned and reached for her hand. “I think you need a man who’ll treat you right. I can be that man.”
Alana fought the urge to squeal like a teen who’d just scored front-row tickets to a Justin Bieber concert. Grayson was gorgeous, sexy, successful, and he wanted her. Her brain reminded her that she’d had her heart broken by a man like him before, but her broken marriage had taught her she was much stronger than she thought. It was time to put that to the test.
She wrapped her free arm around his neck and whispered, “I don’t know if you’re what I need. I’m not even sure you’re good for me, but I can’t seem to stop thinking about you either.” She’d never been so bold, but after everything she’d learned about Grayson, she felt she knew him well enough to take the risk.
“How about we get out of here?” he asked, wrapping his hand around her neck. “Let’s have a private pool party at my place.”
She drew back to look him in the eye. “As enticing as that sounds, I came here to meet your partners. I’ve been so busy chatting with you and your sister that I haven’t had a chance to meet anyone else yet.”
Grayson sighed. “That means I have to share you, huh?”
He looked so adorable when he sulked, Alana couldn’t resist the urge to kiss his cheek. “I want to get to know your friends, and not just because I’ll be working for them.” She hoped he understood that she wanted to get to know him better.
“I’d like for you to meet them too,” he said. “’Cause if they meet you at work, they’ll make the mistake of asking you out like Jaxon did.”
She should have been troubled by the fact that he was acting possessive, but she didn’t want to start an argument by reprimanding him. She would have plenty of time to make her opinion on the subject clear. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s start with Rennie and Zach. I feel bad that I haven’t even introduced myself to our hosts.”
“Rennie and Zach it is,” he said, tugging on her hand.
She linked her hand with his. “I’m glad you were able to make it back for the party. I wasn’t sure you would, especially after I heard you were with Patti last night.” She bit her lip, wishing she could retract that last statement. She was condemning him for being jealous and petty, and she was behaving the same way.
“I told you Patti’s a non-issue. But I’m kind of glad I kept you guessing. Now you know how I felt wondering what was going on between you and Jaxon.”
“Your friend was a perfect gentleman,” Alana said, wrapping her free hand around his bicep as they dodged a flurry of screaming kids playing tag. “He flirted a little, but I have a feeling that comes as naturally to him as breathing.”
/> “I can’t deny that,” Grayson said, chuckling.
“I’m glad I got to spend some time with him.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Talking to him and your sister gave me a lot more insight into the kind of man you are.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
“It’s definitely a good thing.”
***
By the time Grayson tucked Alana into his car, they were both sunburned, exhausted, and stuffed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun. His friends had loved Alana, just like he knew they would, and he realized he didn’t want to be alone anymore. He wanted a woman like Alana by his side.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, stifling a yawn.
“I’m thinking I’m tired.” He started the car before reaching for her hand. “But I don’t want the night to end. You wanna go for a drive? Or maybe back to my place for a nightcap?”
“As much as I’d love to, I really should get home. I have to be up early for work.” Squeezing his hand, she grinned. “My new boss is a real tyrant. I’d hate to piss him off.”
Grayson chuckled as he brought her hand to his lips. Her skin was so soft, and the light fragrance on the inside of her wrist teased his nose. He wanted to inhale deeply so he could imprint her scent in his memory.
“I hope your partners won’t give you a hard time about seeing me?” she said, looking concerned.
“Is that what we’re doing? Seeing each other?” Even in the dark, he could see her blush. He almost felt guilty about teasing her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume… or imply—”
“Would you relax?” He chuckled. “I’m just messin’ with ya. Don’t worry about my partners. I’ve got enough dirt on all of them to make sure they keep their mouths shut.”
First Down (Texas Titans #3) Page 11