First Down (First and Ten #1) (26 page)

“To the love of my life and the woman who makes me a better person.” He clinked his glass and took a sip of the wine. It was actually pretty good. He watched her for a reaction, and she gave nothing away. She gave him a pleasant smile as she sat with her hands in her lap. She could have been at the doctor’s office for all of the emotion she was showing. He’d faced a lot of opponents in his life, so her lack of reaction didn’t bother him. “Enjoy your wine and let me get the food.” Opening the fridge, he pulled out the salads and brought them over. Maybe they should have all of their dates at home. No one bothered them, and the chance of something happening to Ana in the bathroom was eliminated. He doubted she’d be too thrilled about it, though. He sat next to her and made sure that there wasn’t a breath of space between them. He felt better because they were breathing the same air. He somehow needed to remind her of who they were together. He let her take the first bite and then started eating. He’d put music on earlier, and it made the quietness between them a little less noticeable. He wanted to let her enjoy her meal before they started talking. “How was your day at work?”

“It was productive. I wrote grant requests all day.”

He stopped eating and wiped his mouth. “Why were you writing grant requests? You have a million dollars at your disposal.”

She put her hand on his arm and shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea after all. I think I will just pursue the normal routes of funding for the project. You can give it to someone else.”

“No!” He didn’t mean to respond so loudly, but he was mad. How dare she not take the money for her research? Did she think that he wouldn’t honor his commitment?

She set down her fork and tipped her head down.

“That foundation will always be yours, even if you change your mind about me. My word means everything.”

Looking up, she had tears in her eyes as she took his hand. “Jack, I don’t think that I can deal with your big life. As much as I would like to think that I can, it’s just more than I want to handle.”

He held her face in his hands, leaned forward, and kissed her tears away. He wasn’t going to let her go, no way. “I’m sorry that the shit storm happened, Ana. I promise that I will do a better job of protecting you from it.” He felt her rest her face against his hand. “Please, give me another chance.” He stood, lifted her in his arms, and carried her to the couch in the sunroom. He had to hold on and help her remember that she loved him. He held her tightly as he kissed her face and her hair as he quietly promised to love her and take care of her for the rest of his life.

She buried her face in his neck and tightened her hold on his shoulders.

“We are perfect for one another. There is no better match than you and me.” He lifted her face and let his mouth meet hers. Maybe this would be a way to remind her of their connection. He gently pressed his lips and tasted her salty tears. For a second, he thought she felt nothing, and then relief rushed down his spine.

She pressed her mouth against his.

That gave him a small glimmer of hope. He felt her pull away and take a breath. He leaned his head against hers and waited for what she was going to tell him.

“I’m not letting my heart and body make the decision.” She patted his chest and felt his heart hammer against it. “I’m going to consider all of the facts, and then I’ll make a rational decision.”

Laughing, he rubbed his nose against hers. “If your heart and body want me, then your mind will surely follow.”

She pushed and gave him a dark glare. “You think it’s that easy? You think that I’m some nitwit who’s just going to believe whatever you tell me. Well, I can assure you that is not the case.”

“You want facts? Fine.” He lifted her off his lap, stood, and walked into his office. He pulled the large envelope off his desk and carried it back. Dropping it on her lap, he folded his arms across his chest and waited. “There is the report from my attorney, and the investigator we hired and the team’s research, as well. Those are the facts, Ana. I hope it will be enough to remind your head that you love me.”

She looked at the envelope and then at him. “Thank you, Jack. I will read this tomorrow.”

“I’m not waiting until tomorrow. You read it right now.”

“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m hungry, and I want to eat.”

“You can read while you eat.”

“Why are you pushing so hard? I need some space to decide what I want to do, and I need time to read everything.”

“Do you still love me, Ana?” He watched her avoid his gaze as she looked past his shoulder.

She stood and stared. “I do love you, but I don’t like your life. I will not be made a fool of. You broke my heart, Jack, and I don’t know what to do.”

He took her in his arms and held her against him. “I love you, and I will do anything to make this right. I promise nothing like this will ever happen again.”

“Says you.”

He lifted her face, so that she could see how sincere he was. “Yeah….says me.”

Staring into his clear eyes, she knew that he meant every word he said. In his heart, he believed them to be true. Was this worth a second chance? Would she forgive herself if she didn’t give it another try? “All right, Jack. Let me read this, and then I will make a decision.”

He stepped back and picked up the envelope. “I will bring you a glass of wine, and you take all the time you need.” He returned to the kitchen and refilled both of their glasses. As he walked back to the sunroom, he noticed that she had already started reading. Handing her a glass of wine, he smiled and sat next to her and watched her read.

Ana frowned. “Please let me read this by myself. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

“What if you have questions? I should probably stay close, so that I can answer them.”

She flipped her hand and dismissed him. “I don’t want you staring at me.”

He reluctantly stood up and moved toward his office. “I’ll be waiting, Ana. Don’t forget I love you.” He didn’t hear her respond, so he did what he was asked and left her alone. He reminded himself to be grateful, because she was considering giving him a chance.

********

He heard footsteps coming down the hall and reminded himself to keep breathing. He had faith that Ana was going to read the information and be satisfied that he did nothing wrong. He just hoped it was going to be enough for her to give him a second chance.

She walked into his office and stood in front of his desk. She studied him and noticed how tired he appeared “Let’s give this thing another try and see what happens.” She watched him fly out of his chair and come around the desk.

The air rushed from her lungs as he lifted her up and twirled her around. “I do not want to hear about any women from your past ever again,” she commanded.

“I promise you will not regret this. I’m going to do my best to make you happy.” Gently setting her down, he bent over and dropped his lips to hers. It felt like salvation, because she was giving him a chance at making their dreams come true. He slid his lips gently over hers, and she sighed into his mouth. There it was…the sign he was hoping for. He felt her relax into him as his love for this woman spilled out of his hands. He finally released her mouth and looked down, satisfied at the sight of her wet mouth and lust-filled gaze. He was relieved to see that he wasn’t the only one who was affected by their kisses. Running his thumb over her mouth, he watched her eyes focus on him and laughed. “I’ll feed you first, and then I’m taking you to bed for a couple of days.”

“That’s how you want to work on our relationship?”

“Yes. Do you have any objections?”

She stepped back, looked him up and down, and then licked her lips. “I guess not. I’d like a swim in the pool first, and then I’m all yours.” She walked into the kitchen, and sat in her chair. Apparently, she was going to need her energy for their second chance, so she best sit and eat. She took a sip of wine and then proceeded to eat her salad. She noticed that he walked into the kitchen with a big smile on his face.

He pulled some dishes out of the oven, put them on the table, and then he took a big box of crabs off the counter and put them in the middle. Uncovering one of the dishes, he smiled. “I thought we should try the fried chicken this time.”

She nodded her approval. “That was good thinking, Jack. You’re going to need all the fuel you can get.” She pulled out several crabs and put them on her plate. As she pulled one of the crabs apart, she noticed that he stared at her. “Eat up, Jack.”

His loud laugh filled the room. He filled his plate and followed instructions with a big smile on his face. He wasn’t sure at exactly what point things turned in his favor, but at this moment, he wasn’t going to worry about it. She was giving him a chance, and that was all that mattered.

“I think we may have to date at home for a while. It’s going to take some time for me to recover from my fear of public bathrooms,” Ana said.

“I thought we could try a real date in San Diego next week. Maybe the state of Florida isn’t meant for us.”

She shrugged and put some fried chicken on her plate. “Let’s not give up on the whole state yet.”

********

They floated under the stars in the warm pool in their matching swans. Jack made sure that they stayed together by putting his big leg on her float. “I’m glad that you left your clothes here.”

Trailing her hand in the warm water, she looked over. “I was going to pack up everything, but then I didn’t want to face it, so I just took a few things to my house. I was planning on doing it when you were out of town.”

“I bet you’re glad that you waited. You just saved yourself a lot of hassle. Why don’t we pack up your house after the holidays and move everything in here?”

She tried to sit up and found it was difficult when floating in a large swan. “Jack, that’s a huge leap from where we are right now.”

“I know. I’m putting it out there, so you have time to consider it. I understand that you like to think about things before deciding. So I’m giving you plenty of time.”

“That’s very considerate of you.”

“That’s me, Ana. Always considerate.” He pulled his leg closer, so her swan floated right next to his. He grabbed her hand and held on. “I’m never going to give up on you….on us. I know that we are meant for one another, and I plan on showing you every day that it’s true.”

“Why me?”

“I saw you in San Diego, and I knew that you were the one for me.”

“That doesn’t seem possible.”

“But that’s what happened, and every moment since has me convinced that my gut instinct was true.”

“So the geek and the jock….a love story of the ages.”

“Pretty much.” He slipped off his swan, pulled her off hers, and plastered their two bodies together. “Maybe we can make a baby tonight.”

She pushed at his shoulder and laughed. “We’re
not making babies until we are thirty. I have a career to start, and you have some football to play.”

“All right, we’ll just practice every day until we get really good at it.” He started walking toward the step and held her tightly as he lifted her out of the pool. “You had your swim, so let’s get started on our practicing.”

She held tightly to his shoulders as he walked them up the steps to the bedroom door. “Practice makes perfect.”

“Sweetie, we’re already perfect.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

San Diego

Ana sat in her first-class seat on a jet that was getting ready for take-off to San Diego. This was the compromise that she made with Jack on how she was going to get home for the holidays. He’d left yesterday on the team plane and was already there, getting ready for the game on Sunday. She still couldn’t believe that he wanted her to fly privately. That would be such a waste of money, not to mention a horrible misuse of resources. He kept telling her that he would feel better if he knew that no one was going to bother her. The people who were responsible for all of the false stories were being charged with several offenses, and she felt like it was going to be the end of it. Jack had made it clear what he would do if anyone else came after them with false accusations. To some degree, it was just part of dating a professional athlete, and she needed to develop a thicker skin if they were going to be together long-term.

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Jack had texted a picture of the room he reserved for them at Hotel Del Coronado. It was a lovely suite with a view of the ocean. He’d be staying in the hotel with the team for the next two nights, but he wanted them to have a room for when he had time off. He’d described in detail how he wanted to spend the afternoon after he was done with practice. Closing her eyes against the images that played across her mind, she felt her face grow hot. Something powerful happened between them when they were together, and the invisible threads that bound them were growing stronger each day. He had her wrapped in a web of desire and love, and she no longer had any interest in breaking free. She texted him back and let him know what she’d like to do first when they got in the room. Her phone rang immediately, and she noticed that it was Jack. “Hi there, handsome.”

“You just made the next five hours almost impossible to get through. All I’m going to be thinking about is what you just suggested. You’re an evil woman, and I plan on making sure that I figure out a way to repay you.” He heard laughter and felt his heart beat hard against this chest. “We’re going straight to the hotel.”

“I thought we had plans with your brother and Rachel this evening.”

“We do, but we’re going to be late.”

“I have to go. They’re telling us to turn off our phones. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Love you.” He didn’t hear anything and looked down at his phone. The call had ended, and he hoped it was because she was following instructions and not avoiding telling him how she felt.

********

Ana spotted Jack at baggage claim and walked quickly toward him. Though they had only been apart a day, she missed him. He held open his arms, and she walked straight into them.