First Down (Texas Titans #3) (14 page)

“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.”

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.”

Alana looked amused. “I’m willing to bet they have dirt on you, too. I wonder what I’d have to do to get them to talk?”

Grayson knew she couldn’t say or do anything to make Matt or Zach spill, but his single friends were a different story. She’d only have to bat her eyelashes, and they’d sing like canaries.

“Don’t look so worried,” she said. “I’m not really interested in digging up any dirt on you. Everyone’s entitled to their privacy, and we all have our secrets, right?”

Grayson bit his tongue instead of asking what she had to hide. He had no right to interrogate her about her past. “How’s the new place?”

“I really like it,” she said, smiling. “I’ve met some nice people there. Most of the residents are seniors on a fixed income, but there are also a few single moms and their kids.” She scowled. “The slumlord is a piece of work though. The tenants told me they can’t get him to do any repairs unless they threaten to report him. It’s not fair. They pay their rent on time. He’s obligated to give them a safe and sanitary home.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” As a landlord himself, he was vigilant about making sure his properties were in excellent condition. “If you don’t want the headache of dealing with him, you could always reconsider my offer. My agent has been interviewing new tenants, but no one has signed a lease yet.”

“Grayson.” Her tone told him she wasn’t willing to reconsider and didn’t appreciate being pressured.

“I’m sorry, I’ll back off.” The last thing he wanted was to cause friction between them. “Is there anything I can do to help you get your place in order? So many years on the ranch meant I had to learn to fix just about anything.”

“It’s sweet of you to offer,” she said, smiling. “I just might take you up on it.”

“I hope you do.” He’d take advantage of any opportunity to spend more time with her.

“Your sister told me about your father’s stroke. That must have been difficult for you.”

He was surprised Terri had confided in Alana about that. That was a dark time in their family history that they rarely discussed. “It was. My old man’s sort of my idol. He taught me the meaning of hard work.”

“Did he also teach you how to throw a football?”

He saw where she was going. She wanted to know if he was bitter about giving up his dream. “He did. He was my biggest fan. All through high school, he was at every game, cheering me on and making me believe I could secure that pro contract.”

“Do you wish you’d had the opportunity to play pro football?”

He inhaled deeply. He glanced at her while they were stopped at a light, smiling to let her know he wasn’t upset by her question. “High Rollers has become a hangout for athletes, and a lot of them have become my good friends. I’ve seen them through a lot. Injuries, trades, retirements—it’s not an easy life.”

“Does that mean you don’t have any regrets about the way things worked out?”

“We all have regrets, and I have my fair share. When I’m at the Super Bowl, in the midst of all of those crazed football fans, part of me wonders whether it could have been me on that field. But those days are gone, and there’s nothing I can do to get them back.”

She rested her hand on his leg. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject. I’m just trying to get to know you better.”

That was the first time she’d initiated contact, and he wanted more, much more, than a tentative touch intended to comfort him. “It’s okay. You can ask me anything. I’m an open book.” He was surprised to realize that with her that was true. He wasn’t guarded, wondering what she wanted from him. She’d already proved she didn’t need anything from him. She could take care of herself, which he found sexy as hell.

“You really mean that?”

“Of course. Ask me anything.”

“Do you, uh, have other women like Patti in your life?”