Free First Down (First and Ten #1) by Lea Hart

sight of Ana speaking with her friends. “She’s not a big fan of football players, and the paparazzi are becoming a problem for us. I hope that her feelings for me overcome her concern.”
    The doorbell rang.
    Jack heard Ana call out for him to answer it. He moved around the guys, opened the door, and was greeted by a pretty woman with red hair and blue eyes. “Hi. Ana’s in the kitchen, and she asked me to answer the door.” He put his hand out. “I’m Jack.”
    The woman stared with a confused expression. “I’m Sara, Ana’s neighbor.” She watched the large man step aside and was greeted with the sight of two equally large men. She smiled tentatively at the group.
    “I bet you were not expecting to walk into Ana’s house and see the defensive line waiting to greet you,” Jack said.
    Sara studied the men and let out a laugh. “I’ve just gotten to know Ana, and I didn’t think that she hung out with football players. Especially such large ones. I thought Alex was the only professional athlete in the group.”
    Clark stepped forward. “We’re new additions to the group. And we’re hoping to get on the permanent roster.”
    Ella chose that moment to walk into the living room. “Clark, there isn’t an opening for a permanent position. It’s a fling thing.”
    Clark shook his head. “No fling, Ella. If you want to sample the goodies, then it has to be more than a fling.” He watched her give him a narrowed look as her hands moved to her hips. “Your mean eyes have no effect on me.”
    “I think it’s terribly inconvenient that you’ve decided to acquire a moral code at this moment. Why couldn’t you just be the playboy that you’ve always been?”
    “Those exploits have been blown out of proportion, and I’m not a playboy.” He walked over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I know you’re going to come around to my way of thinking.”
    Leaning into his kiss, she closed her eyes and wondered why he wasn’t cooperating with her plan. He gave her a wink before walking into the kitchen. She watched his very fine backside walk away, and then felt Jack walk up and put his arm around her shoulders.
    “If I were you, I’d think about what he’s offering.”
    “But it’s not part of my plan,” Ella responded.
    “Things like this never are.” Jack turned and noticed Justin and Sara deep in conversation. “That didn’t take long.” He heard Ana call for everyone to come in and start eating. He led Ella into the kitchen and perhaps her destiny. Little did she know that Clark was no longer playing the field. He was playing for keeps, and if Ella wanted a shot, then she was going to have to consider it as a possibility.
     
    ********
    Ronnie sat next to Jordan, leaned over, and spoke quietly. “It must be ten, because Ana is asleep, and so is Jack. They could be a perfect match. How is it that two perfectly healthy twenty-six year olds can fall asleep at ten most nights?”
    Jordan studied his friend sleeping in the arms of a very large football player. Jack held her hand even though they were both dead to the world. “I never thought I would see a day where Ana would consider a professional athlete as a viable option. But looking at the two of them makes you feel like it might work. It all seems to be done, except for the details.”
    Clark leaned in front of Ella and asked, “What’s wrong with us? Why wouldn’t she be interested in Jack?”
    “There’s nothing wrong with you. It’s just that Ana had her high school heart broken by a football player and then had her college heart broken by a hockey player. She’s only dated non-athletic men for the last five or six years,” Jordan responded.
    “I don’t think Jack’s interested in breaking anything. In fact, I think he’s interested in the full monty. I’ve never seen him act this way with anyone,” Clark said.
    Ronnie looked over and considered what he’d said. Sometimes the best information came from an unexpected source.