Free First Down (Texas Titans #3) by Cheryl Douglas

for air. “Why didn’t you tell me you could kiss like that?”
    Alana giggled, feeling a little self-conscious. “I guess I didn’t know. You must have brought it out in me.” She knew she should feel guilty for kissing her new boss, but she couldn’t seem to regret the most incredible kiss she’d ever experienced.
    “Hmmm…” He glided his mouth over her neck. “I wonder what other surprises you have in store for me.”
    There was no way she could wear a string bikini and jump in a hot tub with him when one little kiss got her all hot and bothered. “Grayson, about the hot tub…”
    He pulled back to look at her. Tossing the sweater aside, he threaded his fingers through her hair. “You’re not sorry we did that, are you? ‘Cause I sure as hell don’t have any regrets.”
    “No regrets.” She smiled to put his mind at ease. She might feel differently when she had to face him at the office, but for the moment, she was too happy to care about the repercussions. “I just don’t think we should test our resolve. We agreed it would be a bad idea to get involved. You have your reasons, I have mine, but the bottom line is we’ll be working together, and your partners expect you to honor your commitment. I don’t want to be the reason you break your promise to them.”
    He sighed heavily. “You had to remind me of that, didn’t you?” Stepping back, he threaded his hand through hers. “Fine, I’ll take you home.”
    “Home for now,” she corrected. “The first order of business tomorrow is apartment hunting.”
    He drew little circles on her palm with his thumb. “How? You don’t have a car.”
    “Kari has to work tomorrow. Maybe I can borrow hers.”
    “Or you can let me tag along,” Grayson suggested, grabbing his car keys off the kitchen counter. “I’ve lived here all my life. No one knows the area better than I do. Besides, you don’t want some pushy agent trying to sell you on something only to find it was the wrong call, do you?”
    He had a point. She’d asked Kari to go with her for that reason. Alana wanted to find something before she started her job on Monday. “It’s sweet of you to offer, but I’m sure you have better things to do.”
    He kissed her hand as they walked to his car. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than spend more time with you.”
    “We’re venturing into dangerous territory,” she said softly. “The more time we spend together, the harder it’s going to be to deny what’s happening between us.”
    “Maybe the boys will give me a pass,” he said, disarming her with a boyish grin. “If I level with them.”
    “Level with them?”
    He opened her car door and helped her in before releasing her hand. Instead of closing the door, he crouched down so they were eye to eye. “Yeah. If I told them I’m going out of my mind thinking about you night and day.”
    She sucked in a sharp breath. “You can’t tell them that.”
    “Why not? It’s the truth.”
    “They can’t know,” she pleaded. “I mean, not that there’s anything to tell. I don’t want them to think I’m trying to get in good with you just to secure my position with the company. I want them to get to know me for me. It’s important for me to earn their respect, and that’s never going to happen if your partners are questioning my motives. Please don’t say anything to them about us spending time together outside of work.”
    He looked at her as though he was mulling over his options. He clearly wasn’t happy about keeping his partners in the dark. “If that’s the way you want it, that’s the way it’ll be—for now.”
    “For now?” Panic tightened her chest. “Does that mean you intend to tell them?”
    “It won’t be long before they see that you’re a valuable member of the team, Alana. You’ll earn their respect as easily as you’ve earned mine.”
    She reached for his hand. “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me that you respect