First Down (Texas Titans #3) (4 page)

She clasped her hands in her lap and stared out the window. She was obviously uncomfortable with his line of questioning, which only made him want to pursue it more. What was she trying to hide? Had she been unfaithful to her husband? Is that what broke up her marriage? He wondered how he could pose the question delicately.

“Were you and your husband together a long time?” he asked, deciding to ease into it.

“He was my only boyfriend,” she said quietly.

“Seriously?” He expected her to have left a string of broken hearts. Could she be telling the truth that she’d only been with one man?

“We met when I was in college and married two weeks after I graduated.”

She still wasn’t looking him in the eye. Then a man beside them at the stoplight winked and smiled at her. She jerked her eyes from the window so quickly her gaze collided with Grayson’s.

“He was flirting with you,” Grayson said, glaring at the kid wearing the cowboy hat and driving the beat-up Ford truck.

“So what?” she said, sliding her palms down her bare legs.

“You could be my girlfriend or wife for all he knew.” He reached for the button to roll down her window so he could give the kid a piece of his mind. Normally he wouldn’t care, but the unwanted attention bothered Alana so much he saw red. “I don’t appreciate when someone disrespects me or the woman I’m with.”

“Grayson, please,” she said, looking panicked. “Don’t.”

Before he could respond, the light turned green, and the kid drove off.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, noting her breathing seemed labored.

She flattened her palm over her heaving chest. “Yes, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want that to turn into an ugly scene.”

She looks about ready to have a panic attack
. “What makes you think it would have? I just wanted to tell him to back off. Where I’m from, when you see a woman with another man, you don’t come on to her. Period.”

“Oh God.” Alana clutched her stomach. “I’m sorry. I don’t feel very well.” She pointed at the dirt parking lot. “Would you mind pulling over for just a minute? I need some fresh air.”

“Sure,” he said. The last thing he wanted was for her to lose her lunch all over his leather interior. He rolled her window halfway down. “You were feeling all right earlier, weren’t you? I mean, I know you weren’t feeling all that hot this morning, but I thought that was because you’d skipped breakfast. Could you be coming down with something?”

“No, I don’t think so,” she said, leaning forward and taking big gulps of the fresh air blowing through the window. As soon as the car stopped, she reached for the handle. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Both stunned and confused, Grayson watched her hit the running track. What was up with that woman? She acted as if being near him was a challenge she wasn’t up to taking on. He gave her a few minutes to get it together before he decided he couldn’t wait another second to find out what was bothering her. He locked his car and pocketed his keys before doing a few quick stretches while he waited for her to come back to his side of the track.

Falling into step beside her, he said, “You wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?”

A tear slid down her cheek, and she quickly brushed it away with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak out on you. It’s just that I…”

“You what?” Grayson felt like a jerk for pursuing it when she clearly wanted to let it go, but he needed to know what was bothering her.

They jogged in silence for a few minutes before she finally said, “I suffer from anxiety. I swear it won’t affect my job performance. In fact, I’m hoping it’ll get better when I’m finally away from Sacramento.”

Her light-headedness in his office, her rapid breathing in his car when he threatened to challenge that kid… Whatever her reasons for wanting to escape her hometown, they obviously ran deep. “You want to talk about it, Alana?”

She swallowed a few times before forcing herself to take a deep breath. “My ex-husband used to do stuff like that all the time… call out men for looking at me. I can’t tell you how many guys ended up in the hospital just for being a little too friendly at a party.”

Grayson processed that new information. No wonder she had freaked out. Given the things she’d undoubtedly witnessed with her ex, she probably thought he had planned to pull that kid out of his car and beat him senseless. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I wouldn’t have laid a hand on him, you know. That’s not my style. I don’t go off for no reason.”

She didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure about that?”

“Trust me. I’m not the jealous type.”

“Really?”

“I’ve never been in a fight over a woman. The way I see it, if she wants someone else, let her have him.” Curiosity got the better of Grayson as they put another mile behind them. “Did you want someone else? Is that what broke up your marriage?”

“What? No!”

He could tell he’d offended her, which hadn’t been his intent. “Then why did you leave him? Or was it the other way around? Did he leave you?”

She stopped dead, glaring at him with her hands fisted on her hips. “Not that it’s any of your business, but my husband was an arrogant, jealous, controlling, manipulative son-of-a-bitch who thought he owned me. That’s why I left him. Do you have any more deeply personal and highly inappropriate questions to ask before I tell you to take me home?”

Grayson stared at her, shocked by her sudden fit of temper. She was a pistol, with her eyes shining with fury, her breasts heaving, and a sheen of sweat on her beautiful face. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been more captivated. He wanted to take her home all right—to
his
home.

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to piss you off. I was just curious about what happened with your ex.” He planted his hands on her shoulders, cautious about what she might do with that knee if she decided she didn’t appreciate the gesture. “Let me make it up to you with a nice dinner. My buddy Zach’s parents own a golf course and country club. That’s where I wanted to take you tonight. Since we’ve already gotten some cardio in and it’s getting late, why don’t we just head back to my place to shower and change?”

“Your place?” she asked, sounding wary.

“I promise to be a perfect gentleman.” He crossed his finger over his heart with what he hoped was a disarming smile. “I’ll set you up in one of the guest bedrooms, and you’ll have your own bathroom. It’ll be easier than getting ready at the club where you’ll have to elbow other women out of the way for a spot at the mirror.” His eyes raked over her petite frame. “Not that I doubt you could hold your own against any of those socialites. Just flex those muscles, and you’ll scare them all away.”

Her mouth twitched before she said, “You’re an ass.”

“Is that any way to talk to your new boss?”

She raised an eyebrow. “I thought the jury was still out on that.”

“The jury just returned the verdict,” he said, grinning. “It was unanimous. You got the job.”

“Hmmm…” She looked him over thoroughly, the same way he had given her the once-over. “Since we’re going to be working together, I guess I have to make nice, don’t I?”

Alana was nothing like he’d thought she would be when he asked her out. He found that the more layers he peeled back, the more he wanted to get to the essence of who she was. “Come on, let’s go out and celebrate your new job. Please?” Grayson wasn’t accustomed to coercing a woman to spend the evening with him, but something about Alana told him she was worth the effort.

“Fine, but no dessert,” she said, walking ahead of him. “I barely worked up a sweat on the track—probably because my running partner couldn’t keep up.”

Grayson’s mouth dropped open at the cheap shot before his lips curved into a begrudging smile. Hell yeah, this was gonna be fun.

***

Alana stared at her reflection in the steamy bathroom mirror. What was she doing? Why had she agreed to go out with her new boss?
Maybe because he gives you butterflies
. All the more reason
not
to go out with him, she argued. He looked like Ronan. Hell, he even acted like Ronan. He was a rich, handsome, powerful man used to getting his own way. She’d learned her lesson the hard way with her husband, and she’d vowed when she got involved again it would be with someone safe.

“Almost ready?” Grayson asked, tapping on the bathroom door.

God, even his deep voice gave her thrill bumps. Dinner was a bad idea. Pressing her hand against her flat stomach, she wondered if it was too late to feign illness. No, after the episode in his office, not to mention in his car, he would insist on seeing a letter from her doctor and her shrink before letting her set one foot back in his office building.

“Be out in a minute,” she called, bracing her hands on the counter. “You can do this,” she whispered to her reflection, hoping he wasn’t standing outside the door.
It’s not a real date. It’s a business dinner… with a man who bears a striking resemblance to your one and only lover. The man who’s terrorized you for the past year because you insisted on leaving him.
“Just do it. Forget who he reminds you of. Focus on the fact that he’s your new boss and having a good working relationship with him would be to your advantage.”

After her little pep talk, she shoved cosmetics back in her bag, squared her shoulders, fluffed her hair once more, and threw open the door. Her intent to remain calm and self-assured fled with a squeal when she saw him sitting at the foot of the guest bed, not more than a few feet from the bathroom door.

He continued texting with a smirk. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay.” It wasn’t, but what was she supposed to say? It was his house.

“I think it’s cute that you talk to yourself.”

She wanted to run back into the bathroom, lock the door, and refuse to come out until he’d left, but that wasn’t an option. “I don’t talk to myself… much.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “That’s good to know. If it was a common occurrence, I might be concerned.”

“It’s just that you make me nervous.” So much for playing it cool.

“Why do I make you nervous?”

He braced his hands on the bed behind him and made her mouth water involuntarily. His dark hair was still damp from his shower, and he’d changed into a white shirt, black blazer, and dress pants. His shirt was left open at the neck, highlighting his dark tan. She was wrong to think he could pass for Ronan’s twin. On closer inspection, she realized he was even better looking.

“You didn’t answer my question. Why do I make you nervous?” he asked, tipping his head to the side.

“I’m just not very good at this…” She gestured from him to her before she realized she was flailing her hand. “This whole male-female thing.” God, she was making it sound as though they were dating. “What I mean is I don’t have a lot of male friends. Not that we’re friends. Obviously this is just an employer/employee relationship. I know that. I wasn’t trying to imply—”

“Alana,” he cut in, looking amused, “relax. I know what you’re trying to say, and for the record, I’d like us to be friends. I can’t say I’m friends with any of my other employees, but for you, I’d like to make an exception.”

She appreciated that he was trying to put her at ease. Probably because he was afraid she’d go off at dinner and embarrass him if he didn’t figure out how to rein her in. She realized he was looking at her expectantly, as though waiting for a response to his offer of friendship. “I’d like that too. Honestly, I can use all the friends I can get.” When she realized how that must sound, she tried to backtrack. He didn’t need to know she wasn’t leaving many friends behind in Sacramento. Ronan had chased most of her friends away with his threats and intimidation tactics. “You know how it is, moving to a new city and all.”

“I can’t say that I do,” he said. “I was born and bred right here in Arlington.”

“That’s nice.” She slipped into the silver flats she’d left at the foot of the bed. “It’s nice to feel as though you belong somewhere, isn’t it?”

“That must be the way you feel about Sacramento, isn’t it?”

“Sure.”

“Then why move?” He clearly intended to pursue that until he got an answer that satisfied him.

“My ex wasn’t ready to let me go. He didn’t want the divorce, and he did everything in his power to talk me out of it.” Alana hadn’t intended to share her life story with him, but perhaps if he understood her, she wouldn’t seem quite so quirky. “When talking didn’t work, he resorted to threats, intimidation, even stalking.”

“Why didn’t you get a restraining order?” Grayson demanded, his handsome face twisting in anger. “He had no right to harass you. Couldn’t the police have done something about it?”

She folded her workout clothes before slipping them back in her bag. “They were in a tough position. Whenever there was a fundraiser, Ronan was their largest supporter. Probably because his brother was a sergeant with his eye on the chief’s job. Ronan thought he could pave his brother’s way with dollar bills. Turns out it gave my ex the right to bully people too.”

“That’s bullshit!”

Surprised by his sharp tone, her head shot up. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be angry on my behalf, Grayson. I figured out a long time ago that’s just how the game is played.”

“Is that why you don’t like me? Because you think I’m some rich bully who gets off on throwing my weight around like your ex did?”

“I never said I didn’t like you.” She
shouldn’t
like him; the warning signs were there. “I’m sure you’re a nice guy.”

He snorted, crossing his arms. “No, I’m not.”

“Excuse me?” she asked, meeting his intense gaze.
Big mistake.
Looking into those eyes was like inviting temptation.

“I don’t want to give you the impression I’m a nice guy, because I’m not.”

“Oh, okay.” She zipped up her bag and reached for her purse. “If you say so.”

“I’m serious. I’m moody, arrogant, opinionated, bull-headed…”

“Anything else?” she asked, trying to hide her amusement. He was listing his faults to deter her, and it wasn’t working. His honesty only made him more attractive.