First Down (First and Ten #1) (6 page)

“Let’s go over to the next building. It has the best cafeteria.”

“Sounds good.” He took the bag from her hand. “Let me carry that.” He watched her bend down and grab a big tote that she’d left next to the fountain. “I’ll take that one, too.”

“I can carry my bag.”

“Why should you, when I’m here? It’s one of the many advantages of having a big strong boyfriend.”

She ignored his comment and led him in the direction of the cafeteria. “I received a Google alert this morning, and I saw some photos of us from yesterday. It was a little disturbing to see the pictures they got from so far away. I was a little creeped out.”

“I don’t blame you. Are you okay with it?”

“I’m not sure, Jack. I live a quiet life with very little possibility of notoriety. Being around you is a whole new thing, and I’m not sure how I feel about see photos of us on the internet.”

“I don’t want this to be a problem, and I’d be happy to hire a security team to make sure you’re safe.”

She took his hand as they walked along the sidewalk. “The fact that you’re thinking about a security team is disconcerting. Let’s just see if they lose interest.”

Walking into the cafeteria, they made their way over to a table near the window, and Ana had him dump her bags.

“Is your stuff going to be okay here?” he asked.

“Sure, nobody wants my laptop with all my notes.” She patted his chest before moving away, “I took all the naked pictures of me off the hard drive last month.” She turned and walked toward the line.

Jack followed her as his brain almost exploded. He knew that she didn’t have naked pictures of herself, but the possibility made him lose his focus. As he stood behind her in line, he felt her shoulders shake as she laughed at her own joke. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Nice one. You almost got me.”

She leaned against him and smiled, because teasing him was almost too easy. She was the youngest of three, and her many years of experience in torturing her older brothers was proving to be useful right about now. She never thought she would have the upper hand with Jack, but for the next thirty seconds, she did.

Moving his hand around her shoulder, he smiled to himself. Naked pictures….as if she would ever allow someone to do that.  His mind quickly traveled over the possibility of there ever being someone after him to see her naked. Shaking his head, he thought no way…no how. He’d make sure that he was the last one standing. It didn’t matter if his crush made sense or not. Ana was going to be his, and all he had to do was come up with a playbook to make his dream came true. He looked around, noticed people were starting to pay attention to them, and a couple had grabbed pictures of them with their phones. How was it that having lunch in a medical complex warranted a photograph?

Jack leaned over and spoke quietly in her ear. “We’ve had about five people take pictures of us. I have a feeling we’re going to see more pictures posted of us tomorrow.”

Ana gazed up and smiled. “Do you ever get tired of people gawking at you? I admire you, because I couldn’t stand all of the attention, and I would never be as gracious as you.”

“I’ve found if you smile and ignore, then it goes away. People are always hoping to see a chink in your armor, and I make sure never to show them anything.”

They were next in line, so Ana placed her order first, and then let Jack place his. The cook was a little flustered seeing him, and Ana watched him give the woman a big smile while she pulled herself together. Maybe he was the real thing after all… a nice guy with an extraordinary talent.

They sat at the table that faced the lower garden and looked out at the view.  Jack had moved their chairs next to one another, and she felt the heat of his skin against her arm. Closing her eyes, she took a second to try and figure out what was going on with her hormones. She couldn’t seem to lie to herself anymore about the growing attraction that she felt for him. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this, even with Blake. As much as she wanted to resist the idea of dating a football player, she couldn’t help being charmed by the one sitting next to her. “What was your favorite game to play when you were little?” Ana asked before she took her first bite of lunch. She figured it was a much better question to ask than what his skin tasted like. That’s what she really wanted to know, but she felt like it would send him the wrong message. She wanted to try and wrestle her hormones under control a little before letting him know how she felt.

“My favorite game was whatever my brother chose. He was my idol, and I followed him around as much as I could get away with. He was pretty good about having his little brother tag along, and he always defended me if any one made fun of me. He still is my hero.”

“I look at you now and can’t imagine that kid. You are the poster child for the alpha male super star.”

“When I was a kid, I was bigger than everyone else and shy. I didn’t gain any confidence until I was in high school and started having some success on the field. Who you see now is the result of a lot of hard work and determination.”

She set her napkin down and studied him for a moment. “A little piece of the puzzle just clicked into place for me. I see you, and I take you at face value. A highly paid professional athlete with a ton of talent in the prime of his career. You have love and attention coming at you from all over the place, but you still act like that kid in grade school.”

He slipped his arm around her shoulder and smiled into her eyes. “Not many have ever figured that out, except for Ronnie and maybe Rachel. It only took you a couple of days to see inside.”

“I can’t help myself. The reason that I went into neuropsychology was because the brain is a puzzle and I love nothing more than figuring out where everything fits.” She picked up her fork and started eating again. Feeling the heat of his leg against hers made a surge of desire run through her body. She kept eating and gazing out the window, with Jack’s leg against hers and the weight of his arm against her back. Nobody knew better than her what happened to the brain when hormones took over. A perfectly extraordinary organ completely stopped functioning. The brain was always the first to give up the fight when chemistry became involved.

“So you have me all figured out, Ana?”

Smiling, she turned to him and put her hand on his. “I’m not even close. I just fit a small corner piece into another piece. So now I have some place to start. It can take a lifetime to put all the pieces in place.”

Jack stacked his plates on the tray, sat back, and smiled. He was pretty sure the goofy grin he got around her was going to be permanent. He felt like he could stare at her face all day and listen to her theories. “So what does it feel like to be so smart and have so much brain power at your disposal?”

“I don’t know. What does it feel like to be so physically gifted? I saw that thing you can do when you jump up high and land on a dresser. I also saw the tire flipping trick.”

“I don’t really think about it. I train harder than almost anyone I know, and I feel like everything is a result of that. None of this comes easily. I just make the most of what I’ve been given.”

She studied his dark green eyes and knew that he was sincere. “I’ve done the same thing. Everybody has a gift and has something to give the world. I don’t think that I’m better than anyone else because of my brain, and I have a feeling you feel the same way about your gifts.” Pushing away her plate, she sat back and wiped her hands.

“I just wonder if someone as smart as you is going to be interested in someone like me,” he asked.

“I could ask the same question. I’m not fit, and I’m not a flashy, pretty model-type. I’m just a regular girl.”

He looked into her toffee eyes and couldn’t believe she thought of herself as a regular girl. “I think you’re regular in the most perfect way imaginable. At least for me.” He took her hand and decided to tell her the truth. “Ana, you fit the picture in my head, and I feel like you were made specifically for me.”

She shoved her shoulder into him and practically bounced off his muscles. “Jack Ellis, that is so sweet.” Staring up, she smiled and put her hand over his. “Thank you. I still don’t get why the flashy football player is interested in the science geek.”

“I’m interested, because I can’t help myself. I want to follow you around until I convince you to hang out with me. But not in a creepy, stalker way. Just in an interested, want-a-chance way.”

“All right.”

“All right, you’ll go on a date with me?”

“Sure. Why don’t you come over to reality TV night on Tuesday? It’s at my house, and I think it’s Jordan’s chance to pick, so we’ll probably end up watching some survival show.” She ran her hand over his big one and noticed he had a couple of scars crossing his knuckles. “He’s strangely obsessed with them. I think he’s going to bring the tennis player that’s he’s interested in. Ronnie will be there along with Ella. You just have to bring your favorite snack food. I make pasta for everyone, so there will be plenty to eat. Come over if you’re interested.”

Jack leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’d love to come over. But I want to take you on a real date, so think about where you’d like to go on our first date. I can rent a boat or fly you down to the Keys for dinner. Whatever you want.”

“I’ve been wanting to go to Joe’s. I hear they have amazing food, and I’d love to try the stone crabs.”

“It’s not very fancy. Don’t you want to go out someplace really nice?”

“I thought the restaurant sounded like fun. If you want to go someplace else, then you pick where we go.” She looked down at her hands again and wondered what was wrong with Joe’s. She felt his big hand cover hers as he scooted closer.

“I didn’t mean to insult you. I guess I’m used to women wanting to go out to the most expensive and exclusive place. I love Joe’s.”

“I’m not that kind of woman. I don’t want your money, or your fame, or anything actually. I just want to go eat crabs with someone who’s fun to hang out with.”

“Would it be wrong to admit I’m half-in-love with you already?”

“It wouldn’t be wrong, but it would scare the crap out of me.” She felt his hand hold hers tightly in response.

“Good thing I didn’t admit it then.”

She noticed the big smile he had. “Yeah, good thing.”

“I want to tell you something, and I hope you won’t judge me.”

“Did you pose nude? Do you have a sex tape out there? Have you fathered several children?”

“Jeez, Ana. None of those things.”

Shrugging, she responded, “Then I won’t judge you.”

He gazed over and tried to determine how sincere she was before he made his confession. “I’m dyslexic. I have to work hard at comprehending what I read.”

She stared at him and waited for what else was coming. There had to be more. “Is that it?”

“Yeah. What else did you think there was?”

“It doesn’t really seem like a confession. I thought you had something big.”

“That is big. I was made fun of all through grammar school, until I was diagnosed. People thought I was stupid and gave me a hard time.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. Having dyslexia just means your brain is wired differently. It has nothing to do with your cognitive abilities. You needed to be taught in a different way, that’s all. You must have strong reasoning and problem-solving skills. And your athletic ability must come from your visual-spatial and motor skill strengths. I’ve found that a challenge is often balanced out with a strength. No one has everything. I say this with complete authority, because I’ve been studying the brain for a long time.”

“I guess I shouldn’t have been worried about telling you.”

“You’re sure about the sex tape and children thing….right?”

“Yes, Ana.”

“Just want to make sure.” Her phone alarm went off, and she checked it. “Time for me to get back.” She started to gather her things. “Thank you for taking me to lunch and bringing me all the new gear. Should I wear the jersey tomorrow?”

“Sure, I’d love to think about you wearing my number. Can you wear the jersey to work?”

“Probably not tomorrow, but if I was in my office all day, then I could. My cousin Birdie has recently made me over, and I’m trying to stick with it. Up until a month ago, I dressed like I was still an undergraduate. I have no fashion sense, and I resort to wearing jeans and loafers. What you’re seeing today is the result of an intensive two-week makeover orchestrated by my cousin. When I say makeover, what I really mean is an intervention. I forget to brush my hair a lot, and I usually just put it in a bun on top of my head. Apparently, it doesn’t send the right message to my colleagues that I’m a professional and know what I’m doing. Birdie said I needed the outside to match the inside. I told her I would stick with it for at least six weeks. This will soon become habit to me, and I’ll officially be an adult.”

“So if I came over to your house on say a Saturday morning….what would I find?”

“Would I know you’re coming or would it be a surprise? Perhaps a surprise that included bakery treats?”

“It would be a surprise, and there would definitely be bakery treats.”

“I would be wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and my hair wouldn’t be brushed.”

“Perfect.”

“You’re weird. I’ve seen some pictures of you with some very glamorous gals, and I imagine there a lot more interesting than a woman who doesn’t always dress properly.”

“That’s what you think. I happen to like a woman who looks like herself and smells like soap. I don’t like all the makeup that some women wear. It scares me and makes me think I’m not seeing the real person.” He ran his hands through her hair and whispered in her ear, “I like that your hair is soft and long. I like the freckles across your nose, and I like the way you smell. I like you just how you are, Ana.”

She turned her head toward him, and they were breathing the same air as she spoke. “You are definitely a charmer, Mr. Ellis. I don’t know what to think.”

“I could give you some suggestions.”

Laughing, she sat back and replied, “I guess I’ll work off the premise that what I see is what I get and go from there.”