First Down (Texas Titans #3) (7 page)

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.”

“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.”

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 released 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?”